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THE BIDDY CLUB: and how 

ITS MEMBERS, WISE AND OTHERWISE, 
SOME TOUGHENED AND SOME TENDER- 
FOOTED IN THE RUGGED WAYS OF 
HOUSEKEEPING, GRAPPLED WITH THE 
TROUBLOUS SERE A NT QUES- 
TION, TO THE GREAT ADVANTAGE 
OF THEMSELHES, AND, AS THEY HOPE, 
OF MANY OTHERS. 


By 


GRIFFITH A. NICHOLAS. 





A, 


CHICAGO: 

C. McCLURG AND COMPANY, 
1888 . 





TZ3 

S’ 

GoP^ *< 


Copyright 

By a. C. McClurg and Company. 
A.D. 1887. 


V, anscer 

Engineers School Ul)|ii 

June 29 , 1931 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

Why and how the club was formed . . . 


CHAPTER II. 

Some personalities . . . . . 


CHAPTER HI. 

A YOUNG housekeeper’s EXPERIENCES. 

Training of mistresses. — A few weeks’ apprentice- 
ship 


CHAPTER IV. 

selecting and managing servants. 

Kitchen conveniences. — Kind of servant to avoid. — 
Servants’ dress. — Servants’ time out. — Order of 
work. — Preparation for Sunday. — Easy sup- 
pers. — Children’s diet. — Table service. — Serv- 
ing of meals. — Servants replacing dishes they 
break. — How to select a good servant. — Ser- 
vants’ uniform 


PAGE 

13 


23 


34 


VI 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER V. 

SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 

PAGE 

Servants’ personal care. — Independence in matter of 
rules. — Good servants in preference to expensive 
dress or handsome furniture. — A popular fallacy 
on the subject of motherly devotion. — Training a 
nurse. — The needs of older children 73 


CHAPTER VI. 

SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 

Political and domestic economy. — Hamerton on diet. 

— How to avert some housekeeping troubles. — 
How to economize intelligently. — An inexpensive 
table. — Recipes for salads. — A pretty dish . . 90 


CHAPTER VH. 

MONEY MATTERS. 

Woman’s rights in financial affairs. — Ante-nuptial 
arrangements. — Partnership. — Distinction be- 
tween a gift and the right by earning. — A moneyed 
arrangement. — Another family’s way. — Proper 
steps to take. — Small men. — Husband and wife 
equal partners. — The “ Nation ” on the liability 
of a woman 104 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


vii 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SERVANl'S’ SIDE. 

PAGE 

Teaching a servant system. — Servants’ evenings. — 
Mistresses to blame for most of the present evils. 

— Hours of servants’ labor. — Wages. — Board. — 
Beecher on slavery. — Graded wages. — Plan for 
people of small means. — Skilled service. — Pay 
for women who work by the day or job. — Increas- 
ing wages. — Understanding when engaging a 
servant 125 


CHAPTER IX. 

servants’ leisure time. 

Servants’ objection to living out from town. — Night 
work, — Evenings at home. — Servants’ company. 

— Their leisure absolutely theirs. — When mis- 
tresses become the slaves of their servants . . . 145 


CHAPTER X. 

honor above and below stairs. 

Article on shop-girls. — Caste. — Mistaken ideas of 
foreigners relative to caste in America. — A lesson 
on caste. — Laxity in keeping promises. — Signifi- 
cance of a contract. — Where girls can find a home 
and earn moderate wages. — Dishonorable mis- 
tresses. — Searching a servant’s trunk. — Trying 
to save a dishonest servant 153 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


viii 


CHAPTER XL 

BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 

PAGE 

Perfect servants. — Choice of faults. — Good house- 
keeping brain-work. — System. — How to learn 
system. — Proper care of children. — Proper cloth- 
ing. — Little girls’ exercise. — Outline of a busy 
systematic day. — Keeping children healthy. — 
Wasting time and strength on calls. — Children 
trained to make trouble. — Social duties to one’s 
neighbors. — Emerson on length of calls. — How 
to make the most of time. — Delightful social 
evenings 173 


CHAPTER XII. 

A mother’s rights and duties. 

“ The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton.” 

— How Dickens paints wrongs. — “ Spectator ” 
on unnecessary sacrifice. — A mother’s duty 
toward other women in training her sons. — Over- 
population a problem of the near future. — The 
burial of a talent. — A union of heart and brains. 

— Women chiefly responsible. — Public schools 191 

CHAPTER XIH. 

METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 

A thorough understanding. — Praise as an instru- 
ment of government. — Awing servants. — How 
to avoid impertinence. — How to call out imper- 
tinence. — Occasions for discipline. — Improve- 
ment of servants’ character. — A Southern lady’s 
way 


204 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


IX 


CHAPTER XIV. 

CARE FOR servants’ CHARACl’ER. 

PAGE 

Servants’ vacations. — Co-partnership. — Developing 
self-respect. — Making economy dignified. — “Styl- 
ish ” extravagance. — Untruthful servants. — Slow 
servants. — Religious training. — Narrowness in 
theology. — Love and liberty 222 


CHAPTER XV. 

HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 

Various kinds of conversation. — The great within 
the small. — Keeping homes, not houses. — Of 
what women do not talk. — Along the lake-shore. 

— Home . 236 


CHAPTER XVI. 

servants’ tables, with an INTERRUPTION. 

Servants’ tables. — Uninterrupted meals. — Good 
cold dinner dishes for summer. — Sitting-room for 
servants. — Servants objects for charitable work. 

— Servants’ bedroom. — Children’s need to be 
incited to good conduct. — “ North American Re- 
view ” on Practical Penology. — Effect of the ser- 
vant trouble on people at large. — A broken man. 

— Finding work. — A lady-like accomplishment. 248 


X 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 

PAGE 

Simplifying life. — Diminishing the burdens of mar- 
ried life. — Behind the age. — “ Our Country ” on 
intemperance. — A flexible system. — Capacity 
for management. — Idle chattering. — A well- 
ordered family. — Practical knowledge. — Min- 
gling of kindness and dignity. — Hard features of a 
servant’s work. — Overburdened wives and moth- 
ers. — Gasoline ranges 270 


CHAPTER XVIH. 

ONE THING AT A TIME. 

Concentration of thought and aim. — Recipe for pre- 
serving youth and health. — Policy of treating ser- 
vants well. — Convalescence. — Sympathy from 
servants. — Rewarding servants. — Servants’ 
Christmas. — Great beauty at small expense. — 
Motion to adjourn 286 


CHAPTER XIX. 

SOME GOOD RESOLUTIONS.* 

Laxity in the last meeting. — Value of a good ser- 
vant. — Vote of thanks. — Effect of Club . . . 300 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 




THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER I. 

WHY AND HOW IT WAS FORMED. 

I WAS sitting in my study one spring morn- 
ing, suffering from that state of depression 
which generally follows undue exhilaration. This 
depression was not without real cause, as will be 
understood when I say that I held in my hand a 
rejected manuscript. I had built an airy castle 
upon this article, which was an attempt to prove 
that it was not an apple, but a banana, upon 
which Adam and Eve so sinfully lunched. I 
thought the essay both original and spicy, and 
expected others to agree with me ; therefore 
when, from an editor whom I had accounted my 
friend, I received mine own again, coupled with 
a letter asking me to forego such nonsense in 
the future and write something worth printing, 
I naturally sank into a state best described as 
low in my mind. While I was occupied with 
some gloomy reflections upon the subject of my 
ill-luck, and some scornful ones on the subject 


14 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


of stupid and indiscriminating editors, I heard 
Dolly’s light step near the door. 

“ A kingdom for your pen ! ” she exclaimed, 
entering the room. 

“ A fig for my pen ! ” I answered contemptu- 
ously, and then added, in disrespectful reference 
to the unhappy manuscript, “ A banana for my 
pen ! ” 

“What is the matter.?” she asked. “Have 
Adam and Eve returned .? ” 

I gloomily nodded my head. 

“ They must want a spring suit,” said Dolly. 

“ They ’ll get nothing from me, — not so 
much as a shoe-string,” I answered, thrusting 
the luckless couple into a drawer of my desk 
and turning the key upon them. 

“ Never mind. Griff,” said Dolly. “ It is n’t 
Adam you care for, nor yet Eve ; at least, I 
hope it ’s not Eve.” 

She paused and looked at me anxiously, but I 
assured her I did n’t care any more for the lady 
in question than the editor had cared for her ; 
and nothing could be smaller than his esteem. 

“Well, then,” she continued, “I think I can 
help you. You care for success, don’t you .? ” 

I admitted I was not indifferent to it, and 
averred I saw no reason why success did not 
immediately follow the writing of such an article 
as that. 


WHY AND HOW IT WAS FORMED. 1 5 


“I am afraid,” said Dolly, anxiously, “that the 
public in general is not so deeply interested in 
its great-grandparents as it ought to be.” . 

“ Well, what subject would you consider more 
interesting, pray ? ” I asked, by way of giving ex- 
pression to a certain testiness of feeling, rather 
than from any desire to seek information. 

“ Why, several, — the children here, for 
instance ; the servants ; the household in 
general.” 

“ Dolly,” I said, “ do try to be practical.” I 
instinctively felt that I was upon the brink of 
defeat, and so assumed a tone of masculine 
superiority and manfully evaded the issue. 

“ I ’ll make an effort,” she answered good- 
naturedly. “ But, to return to the subject, I 
want to accomplish a certain work, and I need 
a pen ; now, you write — ” 

“ Oh, yes, I write, and I ’m written to ! ” I 
said, glancing savagely at the editor’s letter. 

“ Well, I ’ll give you a subject that will serve 
us both ; for if I mistake not, you ’ll achieve 
success with it, and I will — ” 

“What am I to write about?” I interrupted. 

“Servants first, and afterward children.” 

“ Dolly,” I said with emphasis, “ I won ’t do 
it ! I utterly refuse to chain my Pegasus to a 
plough.” 

“Why, you’ve just been writing a domestic 


i6 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


letter telling what Adam and Eve had to eat ! 
I really think this is a step upward, — to treat 
of human beings apart from their food.’’ 

I had nothing more to say, and I picked up 
my pen with weary disgust. 

“Come,” I said, apostrophizing it; “Pegasus 
is too much of a name, if you ’re going to write 
of Biddies and Babies. Old Peg will do for you 
now.” 

“ Don’t be so scornful, if you please,” said 
Dolly ; “ I am honoring you by asking your aid 
in a great undertaking. I want to establish 
associations all over the United States, and 
I’ll—” 

I threw down my pen. 

“ Dolly ! ” I exclaimed, “you know that a man 
feels dilapidated anyhow this spring weather, 
and it’s nothing less than cowardice for you to 
take advantage of his weakness, and come at 
him with a rolling-pin in the shape of a uni- 
versal association.” 

Dolly laughed, but failed to withdraw. 

“ If you ’ll let me,” she said, “ I ’ll explain. I 
think we women have talked over our servants 
in an aimless, gossipy way long enough, and it’s 
time we talked to some purpose. I ’ve thought 
so for months, but more especially since paying 
a visit to Mrs. Hughes last week. We were 
speaking of this servant-girl trouble, and she 


IV/IV A AD HOW IT WAS FORMED. 17 


remarked, ‘I don’t think we women are very 
smart, or we would have combined long ago and 
found some way to lessen these annoyances.’ 
Now, what I want to bring about is this very 
combination.” 

“ In other words, you wish to start a club,” I 
said. 

“Oh, no. Griff; be merciful! We’ve had 
enough of that ! I sometimes think we must be 
the most immoral people here, for we have been 
all but clubbed to death this winter. I ’ve been 
such a sufferer from this that even the sight of 
a twig now causes my bones to ache and my 
flesh to tremble.” 

“ What do you propose to call your associa- 
tion, pray } ” 

“ Why, nothing ; I don’t want it to be any- 
thing like a club, for I ’m sick of electing 
officers and being asked to vote yea or nay, — 
which generally means yea, whether you want 
to or not ; and as to voting by ballot — I won’t 
have it.” 

“ Well, what part am I to play in this name- 
less assemblage } ” 

“ Why, you hold the pen of a ready writer — ” 

“ And you doubtless think the pen is mightier 
than the sword, — or, in other words, the femi- 
nine tongue ! ” 

“ Put it any way you like, just so you sound 
2 


i8 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


our voice all over the Union,” said Dolly, who 
seemed ready to make all possible concessions 
in order to gain her end. 

“I suppose,” I observed, that if I am ex- 
pected to do that, the association will be generous 
enough to furnish me a speaking-trumpet — at 
my own expense ! ” 

“Come, Grifif,” Dolly remonstrated, “don’t be 
frivolous ; this is serious business. Bear in mind, 
sir, that all future beefsteaks, waffles, and corn- 
fritters depend largely upon the success of these 
meetings.” 

“ In that case,” I said, resuming my discarded 
pen, “ I am ready for work ; but would you 
kindly, madam, be a trifle more explicit as to 
my task ” 

“ Why, I thought I told you that you were to 
write an account of our meetings. You are to 
be our honored secretary.” 

“ Dolly,” I exclaimed, “ it is quite clear to me 
that, however delicately you may endeavor to dis- 
guise the unsavory truth, I am in this affair to 
be but a tool ! Now, my dear madam, I wish re- 
spectfully to demand of you the kind of tool I 
am expected to personate. If you confess it is a 
gimlet, I decline ; for however marked my abili- 
ties may be in that direction, I refuse to exer- 
cise them in boring this noble assemblage.” 

But Dolly was a woman, and she proceeded to 


JVHV AND HOW IT WAS FORMED. 19 

soothe and flatter and coax, until she had me 
just where she wanted, and I made all sorts of 
ridiculous concessions. Having thus committed 
myself, as far as my line of conduct was con- 
cerned, there was no help for me, and I pas- 
sively awaited further developments. 

That very afternoon Dolly donned her best 
and sallied forth in quest of victims for me. I 
merely put the matter so to save my dignity. 
I know, as well as anybody, that I was the 
victimized. 

Near tea-time she returned, and ran up to my 
study in high spirits. 

“ They ’re all coming,” she said. 

Of course they are ! ” I responded. “ If that ’s 
all ye went out for to see, I could have saved you 
the trouble. I knew they’d all come.” 

“ Now, Griff, don’t be fierce. You must keep 
amiable, whatever happens, for I feel as if the 
success of this venture depended largely upon 
you.” 

I swallowed this luscious morsel and smiled. 

Have you any specific plan of action for 
to-morrow VI inquired, in tones of unrippled 
trust and belief. 

“ Oh, yes ! I rely upon Mrs. Hughes to be 
my main speaker. She is really the best quali- 
fied, for she regulates her household and her 
time wonderfully.” 


20 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


The mention of Mrs. Hughes’s name as a 
leading member of the coming body changed 
my amiability from a spurious to a genuine 
quantity ; for I greatly admired the lady. Al- 
though she made no noise about the matter, 
she was nevertheless known and looked up to 
as the best of wives, mothers, and housekeepers. 
Her husband always had the appearance of a 
man well fed, well sewed, and otherwise well 
off. It was said, and I could readily believe 
the report, that his wife had done much, by her 
able home-management, to build him up finan- 
cially, from a state of uncomfortably ” to a 
state of “comfortably off.” Besides possessing 
all domestic virtues, Mrs. Hughes was very 
attractive, a charming hostess, — well, in short, 
excepting only my Dolly, the prettiest, most inter- 
esting woman I knew. She had one advantage 
over Dolly, in that she was older ; and so, having 
had more experience, was more competent to 
teach. I would, however, lay a large wager that 
my little woman would be her equal at her age. 

“ I tried, GriflP,” said Dolly, “ to put the mat- 
ter in such a light that all I asked would come. 
You know some ladies don’t like to confess to 
having trouble with their servants. So I told 
them we wanted all who had anything to say 
or to learn on that subject, to be present to- 
morrow.” 


HOIV AND WHY IT WAS FORMED. 21 

“You’ve built a broad platform, I must say ; 
I think it will hold them all.” 

“ That ’s what I thought,” said Dolly, her bright 
face fairly glowing with pleasure. “ I asked Mrs. 
Hughes to come and teach us, but she was 
very modest about it. She was not silly, how- 
ever, for she admitted that her longer expe- 
rience had probably given her something of 
value to impart to younger housekeepers ; but 
she also said she felt she had much to learn, 
and would be glad of an opportunity to listen to 
the opinions of others on the subject.” 

“ Dolly,” I said, “ you must speak with wit 
and wisdom to-morrow, if you wish me to act 
as your scribe.” 

“ Oh, Griff, I can’t ! ” she protested, laughing. ‘T 
once heard of a lady who became so marvellously 
witty that she could even talk about the weather 
engagingly ; and the cause of all this brilliancy 
was merely a half-hour given each night, before 
retiring, to the reading of some author famous 
either for his wit or his style. I tried this for 
several weeks, in hopes I could deal handsomely 
with this servant-girl question ; but I decided the 
subject was beyond help.” 

Secretly, however, I believed that Dolly had 
not given up the matter as hopeless, but was 
still struggling with it. I noticed that she wore 
an occupied air that evening, and I averred the 


22 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


next morning that I distinctly heard her attempt 
two feeble jokes in her sleep, and I was quite 
positive she was wrestling with Owen Mere- 
dith’s immortal lines on “ pining ” and “ dining ” 
when the rising-bell rudely interrupted her. 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


23 


CHAPTER II, 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 



HE next afternoon, at three o’clock, our 


-A- door-bell began ringing with great vigor ; 
nor did it cease until ten ladies had gained ad- 
mittance. With the exception of Mrs. Hughes 
and two others, there was nothing so very un- 
usual about this gathering. One of these two 
was a lady of uncertain age and position. It 
was supposed that her husband controlled a good 
business, but that, owing to her extravagance, they 
had nothing laid up, and indeed were at times 
pinched beyond a point that was pleasant. This 
lady had in some hapless moment acquired the 
acquaintance of Mrs. Leaders and Mrs. Van 
Styke, the wives of two of the wealthiest men 
in the city, and it seemed her one aim in life to 
have it thought she lived as they lived, and also 
that she was on terms of the closest intimacy 
with them. Rarely could one converse with her 
for ten minutes without hearing something of 
Mrs. Leaders’s opinion of the weather, or Mrs. 
Van Styke’s health. A friend of ours, upon 


24 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


hearing that this lady had called, would always 
ask his wife, in a tone of deep solicitude, — 

“And how is Mrs. Van Styke } ” 

I would not wish to paint this lady in too 
glaring colors. She was not loud, she was not 
obtrusive. In many ways she was agreeable, 
even interesting ; but she had her little pecu- 
liarities, and these were known and smiled at 
among her acquaintances. As I wish to avoid 
mentioning names in this narrative, I will des- 
ignate this inoffensive lady as the Imitation 
Millionnaire. 

The other individual whom I wish to de- 
scribe was a lady whom Dolly and I had known 
before our or her marriage. She had been 
one of those girls who, without any particu- 
lar strength or individuality, possess a strong 
power of attraction, — an attraction which is 
possibly to be at once explained and rendered 
more mysterious by the word magnetic. She 
was a passive rather than an active character ; 
gentle, quiet, yet capable of enjoying her rather 
remarkable capacity for winning and holding 
captives. Few girls could have had more lovers 
than she, and from out them all she chose a man 
who in character was directly opposed to her, — 
abrupt, decisive, active, energetic, intellectual 
within a very prescribed limit. I should have 
said that he chose her rather than she him, for 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


25 


it was whispered at the time that she did not 
really fall in love with him, but rather gave way 
before his decisive wooing. Immediately after 
their marriage he took her to another city, where 
he engaged in business for himself, and she was 
seen no more by her old friends for five years. 
At the end of that time he brought her back, 
but so changed that no one would have known 
her. Her pretty, gentle beauty was a thing of 
the past. Indeed, I could never see her without 
recalling some wild flowers I once plucked in 
the woods. They were cool with dew-drops, — 
so pretty and fresh-looking, — but I drove some 
miles farther, holding them in my hand, and 
when I reached home their beauty and fresh- 
ness were gone. I sprinkled them with water, 
laid them in a cool dark room, but with no 
avail ; their spirit was broken, and nothing I 
could do would tempt them to lift their pretty 
heads again. I was haunted all that morning 
with a feeling that I had taken some innocent, 
gentle creature away from the home it loved, 
and its heart had broken. I never had such a 
feeling toward cultivated flowers. When this 
pale, quiet-faced lady returned, it took us some 
time to recognize her; and when we did, and 
rallied around her with our greetings, she showed 
but little interest in her old friends. Her hus- 
band, too, seemed changed. His activity and 


26 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


energy were centred on his business. He had 
a fretful, peevish way of looking at life. His 
favorite theme was the amount required for 
necessary expenditures, and the high price of 
various articles of food and clothing. In his 
business he had been both successful and un- 
successful ; he was still able to go on for him- 
self, but he had seen reverses and had worked 
very hard. I have no doubt that his family was 
somewhat extravagant ; for although no one could 
look at his wife and accuse her of spending 
money on any pleasures, yet from what I know 
of her character I am positive she could not 
have been a good manager. She lacked both 
the intellect and the energy ; but any man of 
sense could have told that when she was a girl. 
She and her husband, with their family of three 
children, settled in one of two pleasant houses. 
Their home was comfortably furnished, and they 
kept two servants. This latter expense, I was 
told, was one of his favorite themes. He was 
constantly telling his wife of all the women he 
knew who kept but one servant or none at all ; 
but she took these remarks quietly, as she did 
everything else he said. Her attitude toward 
him was quite a study. She did not seem in 
the least afraid of him, nor yet utterly indiffer- 
ent. I can only describe her as hopeless, broken. 
Some might have called him a home man, but 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


27 


I disliked him so thoroughly that I always 
attributed his constant presence at the domestic 
hearth to the fact that he was not wanted any- 
where else. As far as known, he never made 
any effort to be agreeable to the girl whom he 
had shut off from life by marrying her. We 
often looked in upon them, through their half- 
open shutters, as we passed ; he was always 
reading a newspaper and she was always sewing. 
Sometimes he was sitting with his back to her. 
No one who went to the house ever heard him 
address an endearing word to her, still less 
demonstrate' the slightest affection in other ways. 
Once when she was dressed in a heavy cloak 
she asked him to draw on her rubbers for her. 
He had a child on his knee at the time, and he 
reminded her of this, and asked why she did n’t 
put them on herself. It was said by one or two 
who, through pity, went there frequently, that 
she made pathetic attempts to improve her 
housekeeping, and to set a frugal and attractive 
table ; but no matter what she did, there was 
always something left undone, and this last he 
never failed to notice, though he was seemingly 
blind to the first. The next-door neighbors 
used to say that they could hear his voice every 
night, going twang, twang, twang, like an ill- 
conditioned jew’s-harp ; but they never heard 
her reply to his complaints. 


28 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Dolly was much surprised when this lady 
consented to attend her meeting, for she had 
not supposed she would take any interest in it. 
She told Dolly, however, that if she came she 
must do so without speaking to her husband on 
the subject, for he could not bear the mention 
of anything of the kind ; he thought women 
ought to stay at home and take care of their 
houses and children, instead of gadding about 
and gossiping with one another. Dolly tried to 
impress on her mind the fact that this meeting 
was not intended to encourage or even counte- 
nance gossip ; it was called for the purpose of 
having women meet and discuss the best mode 
of governing their servants, and learn from such 
discussions what in justice they ought to grant 
to those in their service, and also what it was 
proper to expect and to require of them. She 
seemed to allow all this herself, but said that 
her husband could never be brought to view the 
meetings in any such light. He detested the 
very mention of everything of the kind ; in his 
mind it was all associated with woman’s rights, 
strong-mindedness, literary pretensions, and all 
else that was worthless and unwomanly. 

“ I could n’t say anything more after that,” 
said Dolly, in repeating the conversation to me ; 
“ one can’t speak against a woman’s husband to 
her, so I just laughingly urged her to come and 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


29 


see for herself that we were not vicious or in 
any way dangerous. I hope that old narrow- 
minded tyrant won’t learn of it and keep her at 
home ; it would do her good to get away from 
those children and that everlasting sewing for 
a while, even if there was no more to gain.” 

I said nothing, but I sympathized with Dolly in 
her dislike of that man. In fact, I never saw his 
wife, with her white, lifeless face, without having 
a strong inclination to knock him down. But 
as he was much larger and more muscular than 
myself, I always remembered that anger was 
sinful, and restrained it just in time. 

The first subject that was to come up in 
Dolly’s meeting was that of my presence. 
Dolly and I had already debated this matter in 
private. I told her the ladies might not be 
willing to speak freely if I was in the room ; and 
as it was necessary that I should hear what was 
going on, in order to write a lifelike account of 
it, I suggested that I should place myself near 
a certain register, where I could hear without 
being heard or seen. This quite shocked 
Dolly’s sense of honor ; but I maintained that 
Howells’s admirable little comedy had rendered 
such a situation quite respectable, even classic. 
As Dolly refused to listen to any such argu- 
ment, there was nothing further to do but lay 
the matter before the ladies. I being the mat- 


30 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


ter, I naturally felt some sensitiveness as to the 
manner in which I was laid before so august an 
assemblage, and begged Dolly to use tenderness 
tempered with discretion. This she promised 
to do ; and as soon as the last lady was seated, 
she opened the subject by remarking that she 
felt sure that, however widely they might differ 
upon some points, they would agree that all 
over the United States there was a call for the 
establishment of some sort of system in the 
management of servants. This remark being 
received with a murmur of assent, Dolly was 
emboldened to add that she was confident all 
the ladies gathered there would join her in an 
attempt to aid the thousands of mistresses who 
were careworn by reason of trouble with their 
service. Another murmur of assent, albeit less 
decided, encouraged Dolly to remind the ladies 
of what they already knew, — that her husband 
was a contributor to a number of magazines and 
papers. Some of the ladies, seeing the drift of 
this remark, refused to murmur any longer ; but 
Dolly was quite highly wrought up by this time, 
and went on regardless of support. She briefly 
said she wanted her hilsband to write a little 
account of the forming of a club for the pur- 
pose of mending domestic service (Dolly ought 
to have put this under the head of Civil Service 
Reform), and that in order that he might do 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


3 


SO intelligently, she wished him to know how 
they proceeded. Of course, Dolly hastened to 
say, he would give no names, and indeed he 
would disguise the whole matter completely, so 
that no one need feel she was made conspicuous. 
It was only necessary that he should have some 
groundwork for his articles. She was sure no 
one would object, since what he wrote might be 
the means of establishing similar clubs all over 
the Union, and doing endless good. 

(“ That is,” — I said mentally, for I was some- 
where in the vicinity of that register, in spite of 
Dolly, — “ that is, if his articles are accepted by 
that very narrow-minded and pig-headed person 
the editor.”) 

Dolly was interrupted here by a volley from 
the assemblage. 

“ Oh, we never could say anything worth hear- 
ing if your husband were present ! ” said one, 
whose voice I recognized as belonging to a cer- 
tain frivolous acquaintance of ours. A quick 
doubt flashed through my brain as to whether, 
even in my absence, her remarks would quite 
equal Solomon's. 

“ Let him come,” said another ; “ if he can 
stand it, we ought to.” 

I laughed at this speech ; it came from a 
sprightly young married lady, a great favorite 
of mine, bright as she was pretty. 


32 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Oh, no, we can’t have him ; it would spoil 
everything, we ’d feel so constrained.” 

I could not recognize the source of this re- 
mark, but I knew it was Mrs. Hughes who spoke 
next. 

“ I see no objection ; I don’t think he’s likely 
to be critical, for he knows we are gathered here 
to learn, and if, through his coming, others might 
be benefited, I should be very glad to have him 
present.” 

Here I made a mental note to the effect that 
Mrs. Hughes was, as I had always supposed her, 
a lady of rare sense. 

“ We’ll have to vote on it,” said a voice I did 
not recognize. 

“ It ought to be by ballot,” said another un- 
known one. 

Unable to help herself, poor Dolly was drawn 
into the vortex, and in spite of her determination 
not to vote at all, least of all by ballot, was heard 
by the register to tear and distribute bits of paper. 
The vote stood six in favor against five opposed, 
and upon this slender majority I was admitted, 
feeling myself in but slim demand, and my seat 
in the house consequently insecure. There was 
afterward a sort of compromise made, it being 
agreed that I should remove myself (I refuse to 
put it in the passive voice) to an adjacent library, 
where I might hear without being seen. 


SOME PERSONALITIES. 


33 


“ And we ’ll try to forget all about you,” said 
the Frivolous Young Woman, as I was bidding 
the company a touching farewell. 

“ Oh, no ; don’t let us exert ourselves to do 
that,” said the Sprightly Lady. 


34 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER III. 

A YOUNG housekeeper’s EXPERIENCE. 

S soon as I was well out of the way, Dolly 



opened the meeting by saying that per- 
haps it would be best to call upon some one of 
the ladies to give an account of her house- 
keeping experiences, the others making com- 
ments or asking questions, as they chose. 
Dolly was very adroit ; she had already decided 
upon Mrs. Hughes, but she thought best to 
lead the other ladies to mention her. She knew 
they would not fail to do this, as she was much 
liked. Her tact was rewarded by having Mrs. 
Hughes immediately and unanimously chosen 
as the one to address the others. 

The lady began, not by saying that she was 
taken by surprise, or was embarrassed by their 
choice, but by remarking that her husband had 
often laughingly accused her of being proud of 
her failures, because she made such haste to 
expose them to others ; but she was of the 
opinion that we were as frequently benefited by 
the failures as by the successes of our fellow- 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. 35 

beings, and that, having fallen into certain pits 
herself, she was more than eager to keep others 
out of them, even though she were obliged to 
light herself, as it were, in order to warn them. 

“ When I went to housekeeping,” the lady- 
continued, “ I knew no more than most Ameri- 
can girls ; and so far from being ashamed of my 
ignorance, I was wont to make a jest of it. I 
used to say that if ever I owned a kitchen it 
should bear this motto : ‘ Where ignorance is 
bliss, ’t is folly to be wise.’ I remember a gen- 
tleman friend suggesting that I should have 
this printed in Latin or Greek, as in plain 
legible English it might have a demoralizing 
effect upon my maidservants. You may think 
I knew even less than most girls, when I tell 
you that after I was married I went to the 
butcher’s one morning and ordered a piece of 
stuffed veal. I have always admired the self- 
control of the man who waited upon me. I am 
confident he struggled with an inclination to tell 
me I scarcely need buy calf, as I evidently had 
goose enough on hand to last a season. I had a 
foolish feeling that there was something pretty 
about ignorance. I found I became very popu- 
lar with my Irish cook when I showed her that 
I knew nothing about her department. Each 
morning, before starting out upon my market- 
ing, I would ask her all sorts of questions as to 


36 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


what I should buy, how much, and so on ; but 
it seemed to me that no matter how well fur- 
nished with information I might be before start- 
ing, that arch-fiend the butcher would invariably 
bring me to confusion on some trifling point be- 
fore I left his shop. Despite this little trouble, 
however, all seemed to go merrily ; and I found 
housekeeping both easy and pleasant, until a 
larger trouble appeared, in the shape of my 
husband’s dissatisfaction. When the first gla- 
mour of our new relations had somewhat died 
away, and the romantic had become tinged with 
the practical, my husband began to realize that 
the very small sum he had laid up to begin 
upon had all but melted away ; he realized, 
furthermore, that although he worked very hard 
we were living beyond our income, with a fair 
prospect of debt in the future. He found, also, 
that while there were others whose expenses 
were as heavy as ours, yet some of our friends, 
who had as large an income and family as we, 
were living for much less. It was a great an- 
noyance to me, that just as I was becoming 
very popular with my Irish cook I found myself 
losing popularity with my husband. He had a 
number of plain talks with me on the house- 
keeping subject, and fortunately I had sense 
enough to see the truth of his remarks and 
realize the danger of our situation, though I 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. 37 


must allow that I was inwardly nettled, and 
wished retrenchment were unnecessary. For 
all that, however, I set myself about it earnestly ; 
but I found I was undertaking a great deal. 
The moment I attempted to look into the kitchen 
more closely, my cook grew sulky, and finally 
said she did not think she was pleasing me as 
well as she used to, and gave me notice. (She 
should have said I was not pleasing her as well 
as I had done.) This roused the woman within 
me, for I saw I was not mistress of my own house. 
I let this woman go, and determined to control 
the next servant, instead of being petted and 
controlled by her.” 

“ Now comes the tug of war,” observed the 
Sprightly Lady. 

“ Yes, indeed ! ” said Mrs. Hughes. “It was 
June when my Irish cook dismissed me, and 
before September I had had fifteen servants. 
None of them were especially vicious, but there 
was always something wrong. I had sick girls, 
homesick girls, incompetent girls. It seemed as 
if each one left my house in a little worse con- 
dition than the last ; and both my husband and 
myself became so disheartened that in the fall 
we broke up housekeeping and went to boarding. 
As we had a little child and a nurse, we found 
this a very unsatisfactory way to live ; but I had 
the rest I needed, and a time for most profitable 


38 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


thought, which I also needed. Although my 
husband was too kind and charitable to say any- 
thing, I could not help knowing that secretly he 
felt I had failed to do my part. I felt so myself, 
and could not be happy until I had determined 
to try again. While in this mood I had some 
conversation with a friend, — an English lady. 
I was making complaint of the miserable class 
of servants with which housekeepers had to deal, 
and I said, ‘ Don’t you think we ought to estab- 
lish a training-school for them ? ’ She paused 
a moment, and then replied very earnestly, ‘ My 
dear, first of all we need a training-school for 
mistresses.’ To tell the truth, I mentally re- 
sented this, regarding it as an imputation against 
myself. 

“ When I went to housekeeping again, I found 
that my experiences had not been without avail. 
I understood character better, and so could make 
a wiser choice of servants than formerly. I 
kept careful accounts, and tried to look after 
my kitchen closely ; but I still had more or less 
trouble. I changed servants often, kept increas- 
ing the wages I paid, and arranged my work in 
various ways in my efforts to have matters run 
more smoothly. But I had not yet gone to the 
root of the matter. 

“ One evening, in talking with my husband, I 
mentioned a new clerk he had engaged, and he 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE, 39 

remarked that although the boy was ignorant, 
he was so bright and anxious to learn that he 
would soon be valuable. ‘There is nothing/ he 
said, ‘ from A to Z, in that office, that I cannot 
teach him. I have had practical knowledge of 
it all.’ Then he added, rather unjiecessarily, I 
thought at the time : ‘ When you housekeepers 
know your business as thoroughly as I know 
mine, you ’ll have less trouble with servants.’ 

The same feeling of resentment which I had 
experienced when the English lady spoke, sprang 
up in my heart again, and I saw fit to begin 
talking about the weather. Not long after that 
my cook asked me for an increase of pay. She 
did not think, she said, she could do my work 
unless she had more. I was already giving her 
good wages, and my heart died within me as she 
spoke, for I foresaw another change. Personally 
this girl was very agreeable to me ; she had a 
pleasant, obliging disposition, and gentle, respect- 
ful manners. She was a fairly good cook, and 
since her coming I had hoped, from week to 
week, that she would master her work ; but she 
was always behindhand. The ironing was late, 
the baking hurried, and the scrubbing often 
omitted. Every day I felt as if I were pushing 
a great load, and although the girl seemed to 
try, she never caught up. Every evening until 
ten she toiled, and still much was left undone. 


40 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


She said the work was very hard, but she liked 
me so much she would do it for higher wages. 
I half decided to pay these rather than change 
again, but I told her I would think the matter 
over for a day. My conscience was stirred. I 
felt I was then paying all I could afford ; I felt, 
too, that my work was not worth more, as wages 
went. I had but two children, and kept a nurse, 
who was assisting the cook more than I really 
felt I ought to let her. I thought over many 
things, and came to some new conclusions. It 
was then that I first felt the force of my friend’s 
and my husband’s remarks. I went into the 
kitchen the next day and said, ‘ Maggie, I have 
decided that it is not because of the work that 
we are always behind here, but because of the 
worker. You do not know how to systematize 
matters. Now, I know very little about all this 
myself, but I have resolved to learn. I am com- 
ing out into the kitchen to-day to begin, and when 
I have learned I am going to teach a girl. Now, 
I like you very much, and would be glad to have 
you stay ; but I am not willing to pay you more 
until you know more. If you wish to remain 
and learn of me as I become able to teach you, 
I will continue to you the same wages, although 
I consider them very high for a girl who is not 
thoroughly competent. Think it over yourself, 
Maggie, and you will see the fault cannot lie 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. 41 ‘ 

in the work. The family is small, the house 
convenient, and my nurse helps you a great 
deal.’ ” 

‘‘ Did she take all this } ” asked the Sprightly 
Lady. 

“ Oh, yes. I spoke very kindly. I told her 
that I wished to talk with her as one woman 
with another ; that I was discouraged because 
my work did not go better, when I was paying 
more than I ought to, and making every effort 
to help matters along. She admitted that pos- 
sibly the fault lay in herself, and agreed to 
try another week and see what could be done. 
And so I began my education.” 

“ You don’t mean to say that you went to 
doing kitchen work when you were n’t obliged 
to ! ” exclaimed the Frivolous Young Person. 

“ I certainly did ; and I was ashamed that I 
had not begun before.” 

‘‘Well, that’s more than I ’d do ! I let my 
servants attend to their own business, and when 
they get into a muddle I leave them to get out 
of it as best they can.” 

“ That sounds like an interesting method,” 
said Mrs. Hughes, courteously ; but I could de- 
tect a slight shade of irony in her voice. “ It ’s 
only defect is, that when servants extricate them- 
selves from a muddle they so often neglect to 
drag their master and mistress out too.” 


42 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


“What success did you meet with?” asked 
the Sprightly Lady. “I ’m longing to put a 
big gingham apron on and face the worst at 
once.” 

“ I found that I was deplorably ignorant. I 
shall never forget my first morning’s work. I 
arose at six, intending to have breakfast at half- 
past seven. It was a very cold day, and I suf- 
fered as I worked over the fire (which I ought 
to have made ready to light the night before, 
but had not), and as I was sweeping the walks 
and galleries I decided that a servant’s life was 
neither easy nor pleasant. I hope I shall never 
outlive the feeling of sympathy for that class of 
women, which grew out of my aching hands and 
feet that morning. Armed with the boldness of 
ignorance, I undertook quite a little breakfast, — 
oatmeal, coffee, scrambled eggs, stewed potatoes, 
and muffins. Poor Maggie stood by at first, 
begging for just enough work to keep her warm, 
so I set her to scouring tins. Half-past seven 
came, — eight, — no breakfast. Maggie smiled 
in a respectful but superior manner. * Never 
mind, Maggie,’ I said, — for she was a girl with 
whom I could indulge my love for a little jest, 
with no fear of her taking advantage of me, — 

‘ it was half-past eight I said this morning.’ ‘ I 
think it was, mum,’ she responded with Irish 
brevity. It was nearly nine when at last we sat 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. 43 

down to breakfast ; but fortunately everything 
was nice enough to satisfy our keen appetites. 
I kept up this toil, in an intermittent fashion, 
for several weeks. Generally, I worked all the 
morning and then went to bed for the afternoon, 
for I was not over strong, and being quite un- 
used to such labor I wearied readily. Once 
Maggie ventured to call my attention to the 
fact that I found the work very hard ; but I 
told her I was only a green girl. I asked her 
what she would think of me if I went to some 
lady and undertook her housework, and finding 
it very hard because of my greenness, told her 
she must pay me more than she would have to 
pay a competent girl, who could do it all quite 
readily ; and Maggie had good sense enough to 
feel the force of this. I reminded her, too, that 
although she was at a training-school, she was 
receiving high wages. Usually, I said, a scholar 
pays the teacher ; but in this school we have re- 
versed matters, and the teacher pays the scholar. 
Throughout my work I was, although greatly 
fatigued, borne up by the consciousness that I 
was at last doing right. Indeed, I felt quite 
gay some of the time. I remember amusing 
Maggie much by remarking once, when I found 
I had made a blunder, that I ’d dismiss that girl, 
for she didn’t amount to anything. 

“ I merely mention this because I want to 


44 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


call attention to the fact that in training ser- 
vants it is far better to breathe a spirit of life 
into the work than one of discouragement, 
no matter if great cause for the latter may 
exist. You will find, I think, that servants 
will work better if, while plainly pointing out 
their errors, you also give them a hope of 
success. 

“ I was greatly aided in my kitchen work by 
Mrs. McNair Wright’s excellent book, ‘ The 
Complete Home,’ and I encouraged Maggie 
to read and put into practice some of its good 
suggestions.” 

“ Do you really think, Mrs. Hughes, that we 
all ought to pass through such a course of train- 
ing } ” asked the Sprightly Lady, with a serious 
tone in her voice. 

I think it so earnestly that I wish it were 
possible for the State to establish training- 
schools, and to frame and enforce a law to 
the effect that no woman should marry until 
she could show a certificate of graduation from 
one of these ; and I would it were possible for 
the State also to insist upon young men pos- 
sessing certain qualifications before allowing 
them to marry.” 

“ What, for instance .? ” asked the Sprightly 
Lady, with much animation. Indeed I thought, 
from their voices, that at this juncture all the 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS EXPERIENCE. 45 

ladies grew more interested and the speaker 
more interesting. 

“ We ’ll have to forego an answer to that, 
I fear, until we are called upon to discuss 
husbands.” 

“ I only wanted to see if my Billy could have 
had me,” said the Sprightly Lady. 

“ Don’t you want to see if you could have had 
your Billy ? ” asked Dolly. 

“ I know I could n’t. I was only a poor, igno- 
rant little society chit. I did n’t know a dish-rag 
from a dish-pan.” 

“ Why can’t young men and women demand 
more of each other, without waiting for the law 
to aid them ? There ’s nothing to hinder their 
taking matters into their own hands,” said Dolly. 

“ Nothing but their falling in love,” said Mrs. 
Hughes. “ They need to have their interests pro- 
tected until they become cool-headed enough to 
see clearly. Depend upon it, they will see sooner 
or later ; and if they have been captivated by a 
pretty face, or the swing of a cane — ” 

‘‘ Poor Billy ! he would have been counted 
out! That’s what I married him for,” mur- 
mured the Sprightly Lady. 

If they have nothing more substantial to 
rely on than that, sooner or later the romance 
will be dropped out of their union ; and once 
dropped it is seldom picked up. It doesn’t take 


46 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


a man very long to become disenchanted if 
there’s nothing real to hold him.” 

“You speak of a man,” said Dolly ; “don’t you 
think a woman becomes disenchanted too, if she 
finds her husband is not what she believed him 
to be .? ” 

“ I only spoke of a man because he is most 
apt to show it. I believe a woman feels this 
even more keenly, and I sometimes think she 
fathoms her husband’s character more quickly 
than he does hers. But a woman is very re- 
served on these points ; she generally keeps 
all this from the world ; she often hides her 
discovery even from her husband.” 

Here I was seized with a terrible flutter. I 
wondered if Dolly had found me out and neg- 
lected to say anything about it. I determined 
to learn how much she knew, the moment the 
meeting was ended. 

“ I fear I must have become an old maid had 
the State acted upon Mrs. Hughes’s suggestion,” 
said the Imitation Millionnaire. “ Kitchen work 
was always insufferable to me. I never under- 
took it.” 

Now, most of US knew, though she knew not 
that we knew, that her origin was humble, both 
as regards birth and worldly means, and that if 
she had never undertaken any form of domestic 
service she had simply shirked a clear duty. 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. 4 / 


The work is not pleasant to any of us, I dare 
say,” remarked Mrs. Hughes, quietly; “but I 
can assure the ladies that they would be most 
certain of escaping the frequent necessity of 
doing it, by knowing how. In other words, I 
believe that such knowledge on the part of mis- 
tresses would create a better class of servants, 
and we should cease to suffer from this frequent 
changing.” 

“ I believe that is true, Mrs. Hughes,” said 
Dolly. “ I have found that the more I learn 
about housework, the stronger hold I have on 
my servants. I have found that I can generally 
do better with my nurse than with my other 
servant, and I believe that ’s because I know 
about every part of her work.” 

“ I don’t agree with you,” said the Imitation 
Millionnaire ; “ I think servants respect a mis- 
tress more if she does not pretend to compete 
with them in their department. I always say 
to my cook, if she asks how to make a dish, 

* That is your business, not mine.’ ” 

“ One of the very best housekeepers I ever 
saw,” said the Sprightly Lady, “knew nothing 
of practical housework.” 

“ Oh, Jenny,” exclaimed Dolly, “ that’s hardly 
a fair instance ! I know whom you mean ; but 
she lives in New York, and is rich, and has a won- 
derful faculty for controlling those beneath her.” 


48 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ I don’t think we should find it safe to take 
such an one as a criterion, though many do,” 
said Mrs. Hughes. “ All over our land we hear 
this cry about worthless servants. I believe it 
is safe to assert that the United States takes the 
lead for the household ignorance of its women, 
both mistresses and maids. I know, by the 
servants who have come to me, something of 
the style of mistresses in this city. Before I 
learned housework thoroughly myself I changed 
often, and so had an opportunity to judge. I 
received excellent recommendations from ladies 
for very incompetent girls. I remember one 
Irish cook who had been paid high wages. She 
could take hold of a dinner-party and manage 
that fairly well. Her cake, pies, and desserts 
were generally good, but her cooking was all of 
the richest. She thought that, to excel, her 
dishes must swim in butter, coffee must be black, 
and so on. She had no idea how to make sim- 
ple vegetables delicious, — potatoes white and 
foamy ; rice with every kernel soft, white, and 
distinct. Through the surprise or displeasure of 
my servants when they saw how I superintended 
matters, I have learned how rare it is for mis- 
tresses to keep accounts, to watch their grocery 
and butcher bills, and the larder, that nothing 
be wasted. Of course these spoiled servants 
resent being watched ; but what do the men of 


YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE, 49 


the family think of this free-and-easy house- 
keeping ? I always dislike to mention husbands 
in this way, because there ought to be no dis- 
tinct opinion or interest in this matter. Hus- 
band and wife should be one here, certainly. I 
assure you that many a man is driven to dis- 
couragement — worse still, is pressed into dis- 
honor — by the waste of his household. He may 
not see this, but he feels the effect of it sooner 
or later. I am far from saying that every man 
who fails does so because of some woman’s ex- 
travagance, for I believe that in his way a man 
is as often extravagant as his wife ; but I do say 
this : lack of knowledge on the mistress’s part 
necessarily means waste. It is her duty to save, 
and set her husband an example of thrift. I 
place women very high. I look to them to save 
the men, — first by performing their own duty, 
and next by influencing their husbands to do 
likewise.” 

Here Mrs. Hughes suddenly paused, and said 
she feared she had taken too much time for one 
afternoon, and that she would say no more that 
day. 

Dolly assured her that they felt grateful for 
her words, and that the time had seemed 
short to them. I was glad to hear the other 
ladies heartily join with Dolly in this. Even 
the Imitation Millionnaire allowed there might 


4 


50 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


be something which it would be proper to 
learn, and if so, she wou^d be happy to know 
of it. 

The Pale Lady was the most quiet ; but Dolly 
assured me that she seemed interested — really 
animated for her, which meant, probably, that 
she had smiled faintly once. 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. SI 


CHAPTER IV. 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 

H, Griff ! you outrageous creature ! What 



have you done!” exclaimed Dolly, as 


by means of a covert glance over my shoulder 
she caught the heading of my articles. “ I said 
we would n’t be a club ! And then such a 
wretched name I You ought to be ashamed of 
yourself I ” 

“ Can’t help it, Dolly. You said you would n’t 
vote, and you voted ; you said you would n’t 
club, and you clubbed ; and as you talk about 
Biddies, why, the Biddy Club you must be. It 
can’t be helped, my dear. It is one of those 
things which, growing out of circumstances 
beyond one’s control, become the inevitable.” 

Dolly was not wholly satisfied ; she was about 
to say that she would n’t speak to me for a week, 
when suddenly the remembrance of her spring 
bonnet, for which I was to call the next day, 
and of her jacket dated the day after — not to 
mention Ray’s first tooth, which was being set 
in an enamel breastpin at the jeweller’s — came 


52 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


to her mind, and she caught her breath just in 
time. f 

The Club assembled that afternoon, and were 
about to open the discussion, when the Sprightly 
Lady exclaimed, — 

*‘We let you off too soon last time, Mrs. 
Hughes, for you did n’t tell us what became of 
Maggie. I ’ve lain awake nights wondering if 
she adhered to you.” 

Mrs. Hughes laughed and said, — 

“ Perhaps that story were better left untold. 
About two weeks after opening my private 
training-school, I wrote a friend that I had 
learned much and had saved my servant. The 
first proved true ; but I was obliged, somewhat 
later, to add a postscript to my letter, for I lost 
Maggie.” 

She wearied of well-doing, poor sinner ! ” 
sighed the Sprightly Lady. 

“Yes, at last. I think that if I had been a 
competent housewife when I engaged her, I 
might have made an excellent servant of her; 
but it was very hard for her to alter her entire 
mode of work for a mistress who was only a 
learner herself. To a certain extent the girl 
was being experimented upon, and in a vague 
way she felt this. All ended pleasantly be- 
tween us. She wished to live nearer her Catho- 
lic Church, and made that the excuse for leaving. 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SEE VA NTS. S3 

But so far from regretting my new course, I 
pursued it even mor^ systematically and stead- 
ily, and learned little by little — ” 

‘‘You don’t mean to say you continued doing 
all your work ! ” exclaimed the Imitation Mil- 
lionnaire. 

“ No, I never did it all, and at the end of two 
weeks I ceased doing as much as I had done ; 
but I was in and about the kitchen a certain 
time each day, and I kept learning more and 
more about my work. For one thing, I found 
that if I were doing it, I should need many little 
conveniences and appliances which the kitchen 
then lacked, and these I supplied as I was 
able.” 

“ I ’ve given that up,” said the Imitation 
One, with a resigned sigh ; “ they won’t use such 
things when they have them.” 

“ I compelled their use until the girls found 
they could n’t well do without them. We must 
never lose sight of the fact that if we do our 
whole duty by our servants, we shall educate 
them.” 

“ Oh, I Ve made an end of that ! ” said 
the Millionnaire. “ I ’ve done with missionary 
work.” 

“ So many of us feel at times, I dare say,” 
said Mrs. Hughes, with that clear-cut courtesy 
which was peculiar to her when she wished 


54 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


to administer a polite rebuke ; but, unfortu- 
nately for our peace of conscience, God has not 
given up requiring such work of us.” 

The Millionnaire began to be troubled with a 
cough, and Mrs. Hughes proceeded : — 

“ I think, as I have finished Maggie now, some 
other one of the ladies had best do the talking.” 

“ No, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Sprightly One, 
we want to hear from you.” 

You have had the most experience, and it ’s 
but just you should do the most talking. We 
only ask the privilege of interrupting you when 
we have anything to say,” observed Dolly. 

“ Yes, we reserve the privilege of all side re- 
marks,” said one who had spoken but seldom. 

“ Supposing,” said the Practical Person, “ we 
were all of us proficient housewives, what would 
you advise as the first step in the regulation of 
our service } ” 

“There is an adage which I can recall but 
feebly, but it ’s something to the effect that one 
must catch a bird before he eats it. The first 
step in this servant question is to choose wisely. 
I look back now upon the time when I was 
changing every week or so, and I can see how 
little shrewdness I showed in the matter of my 
choice. If a girl comes to you all dressed in 
cheap and gaudy finery, you don’t want her. 
Even if she ’s dressed soberly, but with clothes 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 55 


beyond her means and station, — imitation seal- 
skin cloak, kid gloves, or anything of that kind, 
— you don’t, as a general thing, want her.” 

“Oh, I never trouble myself about their dress, 
so they do their work and look well,” said the 
Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ I don’t think that ’s any of our business,” 
remarked one of the Silent Members. 

“I do,” said Dolly; “but I don’t know just 
what to do about it. I ’m often bothered by 
having my cook put more white skirts into the 
wash than I do, and I ’ve known her to spend a 
long time ironing fancy lace collars.” 

“ I hold that it is both our right and our duty 
to prevent this,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ To a 
certain extent, the large majority of servants 
are minors, — not in actual age perhaps, but 
in judgment, intellect, and reasoning capacity. 
They need to be controlled for their own good. 
By reason of our superior education and posi- 
tion, we ought to possess a great influence over 
them. I believe that God expects this, and holds 
us accountable for it. Many of our servants 
are foreigners ; they come from countries where 
they received very small wages and dressed in 
homely, coarse, strong garments. Here they ’re 
paid much more, and before long they begin to 
ape ladies in their attire. They are not able 
to get the best, so they deal in the imitation, — 


56 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


spending all their wages for even this. When 
they fall ill they often have to depend on 
their relatives for support, and in some cases 
these relatives are barely able to take care of 
themselves. One girl out-dresses another, and 
straightway a false spirit of emulation is aroused. 
Some servants lay up money, but my experience 
has led me to think that most of them spend all 
they earn ; more than that, they are often in 
debt to some obliging friend, and instances are 
terribly common of girls who have been tempted 
to dishonesty and other crimes by their desire 
for dress.” 

“ What can we do about it } ” asked Dolly. 

“ Forbid it. ” 

“ But supposing most ladies allow it, then we 
should be unable to get servants.” 

“Yes, there is much danger of that,” said 
Mrs. Hughes; “and, as I understand it, you 
wish to have clubs like this formed, so that 
ladies can be induced to make some uniform 
rules on these very subjects.” 

“Yes, that is it,” said Dolly; “but it will be 
long before these clubs are universal, even if 
ours meets with success and starts others. 
And what is one to do in the mean time } ” 

“After I had trained myself and found out 
what I wanted from my servants, I used to rea- 
son in this way : if I am going to require some 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. S7 


extras, I must offer some extras. I used to 
patronize two intelligence offices by turns, — 
both very good places, — and there I soon ac- 
quired a certain reputation as a mistress, so that 
before a girl came to apply for the place she 
knew about what to expect. I did not learn 
all this at the time, but I was told afterward 
that I was spoken of at these places as very 
strict, very particular ; but girls were assured 
that I would treat them with the greatest kind- 
ness and the greatest justice, and that with me 
they could have some privileges not granted by 
most mistresses.” 

“ What, for instance ? ” asked the Sprightly 
Member. 

“ That of time, principally. Sundays my cook 
and nurse alternated. One morning the cook 
went to church ; that afternoon she took care of 
the children, and the nurse went out right after 
our two-o’clock dinner and stayed till bedtime. 
At about half-past six the cook was also free to 
go. The next Sunday the cook had the extra 
time ; and so on. During the week the cook 
could go out one day right after our dinner, 
which we took at two, and stay till bedtime, — 
the nurse washing the dinner-dishes and getting 
tea ; another day the nurse had that privilege, 
and the cook attended to her duties. Besides 
this, each girl had one evening, being free to go 


58 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


at seven and to leave the rest of her work for 
the other servant. Washing and ironing days 
the nurse cooked and cleared away the breakfast. 
My washings were heavy ; but with this help, the 
girl, by rising early, could end her work in the 
afternoon and rest one or two hours before tea. 
My ironing was all done in a day. For some 
years, now, we have washed on Monday and 
ironed Wednesday.” 

“Why do you prefer that arrangement?” 
asked the Millionnaire. 

“ The suggestion came to me from a servant, 
who asked permission to wash Saturday, so that 
she could have a day of comparative rest before 
ironing. Washing and ironing are the hardest 
work the girls have ; and I think it is better, for 
the health’s sake, if we can separate them. It 
was no trouble to me to do so. Indeed, it was 
a convenience in the winter, for the clothes 
rarely dried in one day. In summer the girl 
packed the wash into two large baskets, covered 
them over, and set them aside until late Tues- 
day afternoon, when she sprinkled and folded 
them.” 

“ If you had had dinner at night, Mrs. 
Hughes,” said the Practical Person, “ you could 
not have given your servants so much time.” 

“We did dine at night, until Mr. Hughes 
wished to change the dinner-hour on the score 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 59 

of health ; and I think my servants had fully as 
much time, only, of course, it was taken differ- 
ently. I let them go in the forenoon and stay 
until about four in the afternoon.” 

“Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “will you please 
give us a plan of your work ” 

“ Certainly ; but it may not suit your house- 
holds. Monday we washed ; Tuesday, swept 
the upper part of the house and baked ; Wednes- 
day, ironed ; Thursday, the silver was cleaned, 
and the upstairs windows, and then, at about 
three, the cook generally went out. I never 
had an inflexible time for this, but I thought it 
would be pleasanter for her to know beforehand 
when she could go, so as to arrange to meet 
friends, and generally this was her day. Friday 
morning she swept downstairs, and after dinner 
sewed and took care of the children for the 
nurse, who usually went out that day.” 

“Well, if your cook would sew, it was remark- 
able. Mine will never do an extra thing,” said 
the Millionnaire. 

“ My cook is perfectly willing to sew, but it is 
I who object, for I don’t admire her style,” said 
the Sprightly Lady. 

“ I generally selected some of the simplest 
mending for her afternoon’s work, — the clothes 
that needed buttons, or some of the oldest gar- 
ments that were not worthy of fine work. I 


6o 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


have had cooks who sewed quite well, but that 
was not usual. Saturday, the baking, scrubbing, 
and downstairs windows filled the day. Our 
baking was very light, or we could not have 
accomplished so much ; but we had several 
ends in mind, and tried to compass them. 
First of all, I wanted on Saturday to have some 
little dessert made for Sunday. We also had 
beans baked ; for both my husband and my- 
self were fond of them, and as they are 
nutritious we made an entire dinner off them 
every wash-day, with, of course, the accompani- 
ment of bread and butter, some pickles, per- 
haps, or sauce. If I wished to have for Sunday 
any meat that would require long cooking, this 
was at least partially done on Saturday. On 
Tuesday we always had something prepared for 
the ironing-day dinner, and on both Tuesday 
and Saturday some tea dishes, such as veal loaf, 
jellied chicken, sauces, and so on. These we 
would use for tea on wash-day and ironing-day, 
or when either servant was out ; so that at those 
times, with bread and butter or toast, or rolls 
(which were made with the bread), we had a nice 
tea ready without any effort.” 

“ Did n’t you bake cake or pies } ” asked a 
Silent Member. 

“ Sometimes, but not often ; we generally had 
some nice fruit-cake on hand. Two or three 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 6l 

loaves of this would, in a cake-box, keep until 
it was eaten, — several months, perhaps. We 
did n’t care for it when we were alone ; but if 
some friends dropped in we could have a few 
slices on the table, to be taken or not as one 
chose. We used to laugh about this, and say we 
thought such cake injurious for ourselves, and 
so we kept it for guests. Some weeks we had 
thin crisp cookies made, but it was generally 
so long before I could get them eaten that I did 
not have them often.” 

“ Your children must have been wonderful ! ” 
said the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“My children were seldom allowed to taste 
even the plainest cake. I think many people 
make a great mistake in this matter. Grow- 
ing children need very plain, nutritious, nicely- 
cooked food. It would be better for all of us to 
eat such, but they especially, with their bones 
and muscles forming, need that and no other. 
Now, time is saved, and money is saved (in the 
health gained), by providing such food, and omit- 
ting the great quantity of cakes and pies that is 
consumed by almost every average-sized Amer- 
ican family. It has been my effort for years to 
simplify my work as much as possible.” 

“ Did n’t you care for your table asked the 
Sprightly One. She had quite a knack for table 
arrangements. 


62 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ My table was my pride,” said Mrs. Hughes, 
with a quiet smile. 

“ Oh, we Ve all heard of Mrs. Hughes’s 
table,” said the Millionnaire, politely. But I 
fancied I could detect a sort of undercurrent 
of surprise that the table should have estab- 
lished such a reputation, in view of recent 
revelations. 

How did you manage, Mrs. Hughes, to have 
your table at once so simple and so elegant.^” 
asked Dolly. 

“ I contrived early in my housekeeping ex- 
perience to buy very pretty dishes. I bought 
them with money I saved by denying myself 
knick-knacks. My set was white china, very 
thin and nice ; and besides this, I gathered, piece 
by piece, quite an assortment of dainty extra 
dishes.” 

“ And did those satisfy hunger ^ ” exclaimed 
the Sprightly One. “ What a model Mr. Hughes 
must have been ! I can fancy Billy’s rage if 
I were to try to lunch him on an exquisite 
cracker-dish.” 

Everybody laughed at this, but Dolly ex- 
claimed, — 

*‘Now, Jenny! you know you said, only the 
other day, that your handsome little dishes had 
many a time kept guests from seeing that you 
had n’t much for lunch ! ” 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SELVA NTS. 63 

“I didn’t say they’d fooled Billy, though! 
He looks right through them to what ’s inside.” 

“ It sounds absurd, perhaps,” said Mrs. Hughes, 
“but it is nevertheless true, that delicious cooking 
and handsome serving make very simple dishes 
appetizing. Now, a frequent breakfast with us — 
for we had it Sundays, and washing and ironing 
days — was fruit, oatmeal, and eggs. If I had 
had those all on the table at once, and in common 
ware, they would n’t have amounted to much ; 
but I had a lovely odd dish for the fruit, another 
for the oatmeal, and still another for the eggs 
(the latter being accompanied by dainty little 
egg-cups), and each one of these articles of food 
formed a separate course.” 

“ What, each egg I ” whispered the Sprightly 
Person. 

“ Perhaps you have seen Mrs. Henderson’s 
cook-book. She strongly urges the course 
system. She says if you have but two dishes, 
you will find that if you serve them in two 
separate courses they will go farther, and your 
table will be more elegant.” 

“ It ’s all very well to talk of thin china and 
glasses and unique dishes,” said the Practical 
Lady ; “ but I should say we ’d either got to have 
a different class of servants, or wash all these 
things ourselves.” 

“I don’t quite agree with you,” said Mrs. 


64 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Hughes. “I suffered more or less damage at 
first, but then I made some changes that effected 
much good. I bought an extra table ; it was only 
a common one, but I placed it in the dining- 
room close to the kitchen door. When we were 
not eating I kept a pretty cover on it, and a few 
books and papers ; but at meal-times the servant 
laid these aside and cleared the dishes on to it. 
I made a rule that no silver, china, or fancy dish 
was ever to be taken out into the kitchen, ex- 
cepting as was necessary to serve a meal. Then 
I made another rule, to the effect that I should 
hold my cook responsible for anything broken. 
I told her I counted a dish broken if it was even 
slightly nicked. I looked over the dishes with 
her every little while, and if there was any nicked 
piece I took it out and she had to replace it.” 

“Supposing she couldn’t find another such 
dish,” said Dolly. 

“ My china was easily matched, being white ; 
as for the odd pieces, occasionally she would be 
unable to duplicate one of these ; in that case 
she had to forfeit as much of her wages as I 
thought right. I was forced to make this rule 
to protect myself, as I had so much broken. 
Mr. Hughes thought it rather hard; but I told 
him it made a more careful woman of my ser- 
vant, and so was a benefit to her, and it saved 
me from suffering from another’s carelessness.” 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 65 

“ Did you have your nice dishes washed in the 
dining-room ? ” asked the Millionnaire. 

“Yes, right on my smaller table; and I told 
the girl she could be longer at that work than 
she was washing the kitchen dishes, and so be 
more careful. Of course, I used my judgment 
in the matter of replacing. If a girl lived with 
me a long time without breaking anything, I 
would sometimes excuse an accident of this kind. 
Then, again, once in a while the circumstances 
were such that the fault was in itself excusable ; 
but generally I enforced the rule, and I found 
that breakages diminished with pleasing rapid- 
ity. Under some circumstances, after finding it 
necessary for a servant to replace a dish, I have 
made a present of the money to her later. As 
the nurse often washed the dishes, of course she 
was once in a while at fault ; but I trusted to 
her honor to make good any carelessness. I had 
to select one of the girls and hold her respon- 
sible, but I felt sure the nurse would not let the 
cook suffer unjustly.” 

“You had great confidence in their truth- 
fulness,” said the Millionnaire, with a superior 
smile. 

“ Yes, and with great cause. I have had much 
experience with these girls, and I can say now 
that after I had passed my first housekeeping 
year and learned how to choose servants, I never 
5 


66 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


had but one who was untruthful. That was an 
Irish cook ; and even she would tell the truth if 
I pinned her down to it, but otherwise she would 
evade me at times.” 

“ I wish you would teach us how to choose so 
marvellously well,” sighed the Sprightly Lady. 

“ All there is about it is to select a quiet, 
steady-looking, willing girl. You want her to be 
intelligent, for unless she is she will not make a 
good servant ; you cannot reason with her, and 
she can never advance in learning. I always pre- 
ferred such a girl, with medium acquirements, to 
one who knew more and thought she knew all.” 

“ I don’t believe one girl out of a hundred 
would stand it if I made such rules about dishes,” 
said the Practical Person. 

“ I had a great many servants, and although 
some of them demurred a little, none of them 
seriously objected, and when they left it was gen- 
erally because I sent them away ; for I changed 
often in my efforts to find a girl who would do 
excellent work. I talked plainly with them, tell- 
ing them that if I were to go into their room 
and break or damage something belonging to 
them, they would think it strange if I did not 
replace it, and I should feel very mean if I did 
not. I told them, too, that if I rented a furnished 
house, an inventory of the articles in that house 
would be handed me when I went in, and then I 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 6y 

would be held accountable for everything. As 
for the natural wear and tear of utensils, I had 
nothing to say; but certainly it would be very 
unjust to let me suffer for any actual carelessness 
of theirs. Often the most difficult part was to 
convince a girl that she was at fault, especially 
when a dish or glass was only slightly nicked. 
She was not always conscious of having done 
this, and thought it might have happened at the 
table ; but I always told her she could look at 
the dishes before she washed them, and if she 
found any such damage she must let me know, 
and that would relieve her of blame.” 

“ What would families who are crowded with 
work do, Mrs. Hughes, if the cook stopped half 
an hour to look over the dishes after every 
meal.^” asked the Practical Person. 

“ They can’t carry matters so far, of course. 
If a woman has a large family and moderate 
means, she will be forced to put up with a great 
many things that can be arranged differently ip 
smaller or wealthier households, for the same 
reason that she must dress more simply than 
richer women. But I do think that as far as 
actual breakages are concerned, we ladies might 
combine to require our servants to repair such 
damage. This is another point which we ought 
to gain by holding council on the subject, as we 
are doing to-day.” 


68 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Mrs. Hughes,” said one of the more Silent 
Members, “ you spoke awhile ago of a servant’s 
dress. Did you make any special rules about 
that .? ” 

“ Not until I had been much annoyed by their 
poor dressing. They were either under-dressed 
or over-dressed half the time, so I finally adopted 
a uniform for them. It consisted of a calico 
gown made with full skirt and plain waist. 
Each girl had three of these suits, and wore 
one mornings with gingham aprons, and another 
afternoons with white aprons, white surplice, or 
collar, and cap. Every week the morning gown 
of the preceding week was put into the wash 
and the afternoon gown took its place, while a 
fresh one was worn in the afternoon.” 

“ Could you get your girls to wear caps ? 
I have had some trouble about that,” said the 
Millionnaire. 

“ Some girls did not object at all ; others did, 
and at first I did not insist upon it. But Mr. 
Hughes and I were both so annoyed by finding 
an occasional misplaced hair, that I made a rule 
that the cook must wear a close cap whenever 
she was on duty. I told her no man would 
think of cooking without one ; all bakers wore 
them, and she must. The nurse’s cap was dif- 
ferent, and was worn because it helped keep 
the hair tidy and made the girl look neat. As 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 69 

these caps were more or less becoming, few ob- 
jected to wearing them; the chief trouble was 
about doing them up and keeping a clean one 
always on hand. I know that in some cities 
the girls have rebelled against these caps. I 
read some time ago that in England many of 
the servants had refused to wear them. But 
whatever we think best to do about the nurses 
and waitresses, I think we should insist upon our 
cooks wearing close caps when they are cook- 
ing. I did n’t succeed in adopting this uniform 
until I was able to help the girls buy it ; but I 
think we ladies could form a combination on 
this subject, as on others, and compel the wear- 
ing of some such simple, neat garb. Certainly 
it is cheap enough for them to afford it. I 
remember that when I visited one of the largest 
dry-goods stores in Montreal, I was struck by the 
fact that all the female clerks wore black gowns 
and white collars ; and I was told that it was a 
rule of the house. I suppose the proprietors 
wished to do away with the tawdry styles so 
much in vogue among shop-girls. I have been 
told of some very select hotels and boarding- 
houses in this country where the servants are 
all required to dress in dark calicoes and white 
aprons.” 

“Do you object to a plain woollen gown.^*” 
asked Dolly. 


70 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


“1 do, because it absorbs perspiration and 
cannot be washed ; and, worn by a working 
girl, it soon becomes unpleasant. I let them 
wear such gowns when they go out, if they 
wish.” 

suppose they dress as they please, then,” 
said Dolly. 

“ Probably they burst forth in orange and red, 
to atone for their forced sobriety in the house,” 
said the Sprightly Person. 

“ They might have done so, had they not been 
restrained.” 

Did you make rules about that ? ” asked a 
Silent One. 

“ No, not exactly. You know there are many 
ways of restraining. You can bring a strong 
influence to bear upon a girl, and improve her 
taste.” 

"‘Yes,” said a Quiet Lady; “I had an Irish 
cook who always wore a long white feather on 
her hat, and a gay gown, when she went out. I 
made her a present of a pretty, simple, gray suit, 
and talked to her kindly, until at last she came 
to dress quite modestly.” 

“ That is certainly the best mode ; but all 
girls are not amenable to such control. I had 
an Irish servant who, though lax about dress 
when doing her work, would go out of an even- 
ing wearing a brocaded velvet, with a button-hole 


SELECTING AND MANAGING SERVANTS. 71 

bouquet, fancy hat, and so on. I believe the 
girl’s character was good ; but I told her that 
her foolish mode of dress laid her liable to very 
unjust and injurious suspicions. She did not 
mend her toilet, and for this and various faults 
I dismissed her.” 

“ What do you think about our girls’ wearing 
frizzes asked one of the Silent Members. 

“ To friz or not to friz, is now the question,” 
said the Sprightly Young Person. 

” I prefer to have them wear their hair plain ; 
but then they are human. They wish to look 
well, and in cases where a little crimping will 
greatly increase their good looks I have never 
forbidden it. Sometimes we have compromised; 
they have worn plainly-dressed hair at home, and 
crimped hair when going out. Two things I 
have always emphatically forbidden : one, the 
wearing of bushy bangs, or a mass of frizzes, — 
frizzes so seldom combed that hairs are always 
falling from them ; and another, appearing with 
the hair done up in any kind of crimping papers 
or pins. It is mortifying to think that there are 
so-called ladies who not only appear around their 
houses so, but even sit down at table with their 
hair done up in crimps.” 

If a servant has no occasion to come into the 
dining-room, do you allow her to wear her hair 
so in the kitchen } ” asked the Practical Person. 


72 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ By no means ! ” said Mrs. Hughes, with a 
somewhat heated emphasis. “ I have always 
told them that if they wished to crimp their 
hair they must put it up at night and take it 
down in the morning.” 

“ But in the summer the heat will take all the 
crimp out of hair in the course of a few hours,” 
said the Practical Lady. 

“Yes, so they have told me ; and to prevent 
this I let them wear a little black lace veil, 
bound tightly over the hair after the papers 
are taken out. This does not look badly, and 
it preserves the crimps.” 

But just here Mrs. Hughes glanced at the 
clock, and rose abruptly. 

“ I do not want to leave you in exactly the 
same way as last time, but I must say that if 
I had not apologized then for keeping you so 
long, I should certainly do so now.” 

“ Don’t apologize, Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly ; 
“ * art is long,’ and so are some servant girls, and 
we want to make the most of them.” 

“ I should say some are long ! ” ejaculated the 
Sprightly Lady. “ My last maid was seven feet, 
if she was an inch. She looked like a pair of 
mounted tongs. I respected her highly. I was 
really afraid to do anything else ; and then, she 
seemed so beautifully adapted by Nature for the 
highest of everything.” 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 73 


CHAPTER V. 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 

S soon as the ladies were all assembled, 



Dolly opened the meeting by saying, with 
some hesitancy, — 

“Mrs. Hughes, I would like to ask you a 
question on a rather delicate and unpleasant 
subject.” 

“ Oh, don’t ! ” exclaimed the Sprightly Lady ; 
“ pray don’t let ’s have anything delicate or 
unpleasant.” 

“ We must,” persisted Dolly, laughing, “ for 
I crave information. ^ I want to know,’ as 
some Eastern people say. You spoke about 
the woollen gowns worn by servants becoming 
unpleasant from perspiration. I have had so 
much trouble with my servants on that account. 
Their room is always disagreeable to me, — and 
I have wondered if they bathe as often as they 
should.” 

The. Millionnaire laughed. 

“ I can tell you in a word that they don’t,” 
said she. 


74 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


I have feared so,” said Dolly ; but what can 
we do about it ? ” 

Do the best we can, and put their room as far 
off as possible,” said the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ If I may be allowed to differ, I would like to 
suggest another way,” said Mrs. Hughes. We 
can require our servants to bathe, and keep 
their rooms so that we may enter them without 
dread.” 

“But it’s such a delicate subject to broach,” 
said Dolly. “ I could scarcely bring myself to 
tell a girl to take a bath. I should feel I was 
insulting her.” 

“ As a general thing, you will find that those 
girls who need to be told are not very sensitive 
on the subject. I have had exceptions to this 
rule ; but still I know of no other way for a 
lady to protect herself and her house from the 
consequences of a servant’s personal neglect, 
than by requiring the girl to take proper care 
of herself. So long as we are upon this subject 
of bathing, I may as well say that there are 
others besides servants who neglect this part 
of their toilet.” 

“ Oh, I know that ! ” exclaimed Dolly. “ My 
physician once said that I would be amazed if 
he should tell me the difficulty he experienced 
in inducing those who claimed to be ladies to 
take care of their health in this respect.” 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 75 

“ I don’t think he need have spoken of ladies 
in particular,” said Mrs. Hughes, “for I have 
heard physicians say that personal cleanliness 
was really very rare. There are many who 
think a weekly bath all-sufficient, and some 
take but a semi-monthly.” 

“Well, you know, Mrs. Hughes,” said one of 
the Silent Members, “ many people regard much 
bathing as injurious; even doctors disapprove 
of it sometimes.” 

“ Yes, I know ; they talk of bathing away the 
flesh, lowering the vitality, and so on. But I 
can never understand how they can recommend 
people to carry about, on their clothes and their 
persons, all that waste of the system which every 
intelligent man or woman knows the skin throws 
off daily if it does its lawful work.” 

“ But don’t you think there is such a thing as 
excessive bathing } ” persisted one of the Silent 
Ladies. 

“ Certainly ; but few of us fall into that error. 
I think that too frequent warm baths are weak- 
ening, and I know that some people are not able 
to take cold baths because they have not vitality 
enough to react. Still, I believe that is because 
they are not in a natural condition. But I have 
never yet seen any one in reasonable health who 
would not feel benefited by a quick sponge — not 
plunge — bath taken daily, with, if needful, just 


76 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


the chill off the water. For many people, doc- 
tors recommend a little rock or sea salt dissolved 
in the bath water. This sponging, with a semi- 
weekly thorough warm bath, will answer all the 
needs of cleanliness.’^ 

“ I have been told,” said Dolly, “ that it is 
better to use the hand in a bath than a sponge 
or cloth. What do you think, Mrs. Hughes ? ” 

“ The only advantage of a sponge is, that in 
a quick bath it more readily and neatly gathers 
up the water than the hand can ; but I don’t 
doubt that an after rubbing with the latter is 
excellent for strengthening purposes. Some 
doctors are very much opposed to the use of 
a sponge, because it is so liable to retain im- 
purities.” 

“ Did you require your servants to bathe 
every day } ” asked the Practical Person. 

“ No ; but they were always obliged to bathe 
twice a week, and if they chose to do more I 
was of course pleased. Another point which I 
was forced to emphasize with them was the 
wearing of different clothing at night from what 
they wore in the daytime ; and here again it is 
not servants alone who are at fault, for I have 
known many so-called refined people who in- 
dulged in the really unclean practice of wearing 
the same underclothing night and day both. 
Some of my servants had to be told to wear 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 7/ 

nightgowns ; but most of the more respectable 
girls had these, though all of them failed to have 
different flannels for night and day. I was 
especially strict with my nurse upon these 
points, for she brought a cot into the nursery, 
and slept there nights in order to watch over 
the children, and of course I wished her to be 
very tidy personally.” 

“ I suppose, of course, you don’t permit your 
servants to use the bath-room } ” said the Mil- 
lionnaire. 

“ Certainly not ; they have a small bath-tub in 
their room, and separate bath-towels.” 

“I think, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical 
Lady, that one would have to occupy a very 
independent position in order to make all these 
requirements of servants.” 

“ That is true ; but I managed very early in 
my married experience to place myself there, 
and I think others could do the same if they 
chose. Before I had kept house three years I 
made most of these conditions with my maids, 
and before four years I made them all.” 

^‘You must have been richer than some of 
the rest of us. I know money gives indepen- 
dence,” said the Practical One, with a sigh. 

No, I think not ; for my husband and I began 
our married life with modest means, and it was 
many years before we were even what would be 


78 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


called well off, financially. But we were of one 
mind upon this servant question, both being 
agreed to have servants, — good servants too. 
The latter we knew would cost money, but we 
regarded them as less expensive in the end, 
saving us, as we felt sure they would, much 
of the wear and tear of life. But in order to 
obtain such service, we were obliged to deny 
ourselves many things. We made our choice 
between handsome furniture, handsome cloth- 
ing, and entertainments, on the one hand, and 
good servants on the other. That is to say, our 
house was furnished simply, — indeed, much of 
the furniture was home-made ; but we used to 
think it was the loveliest house we ever saw, for 
it had so many simple but pretty decorations ; 
then we dressed in good taste, I hope, but very 
plainly, and we went to the theatre or opera 
only as a great. and unusual treat. When we 
first kept house we had one servant ; but as soon 
as a little child came to our fireside we kept 
two.” 

“Then you believe in nurses, Mrs. Hughes.^” 
said one of the Silent Members. 

“ Yes, most decidedly.” 

“Oh, Mrs. Hughes!” exclaimed the Sprightly 
Lady. “ I fear, then, you are opposed to the 
devoted-mother theory I ” 

It was seldom that the Sprightly Lady’s fun 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 79 

ever hurt any one, and Mrs. Hughes in particu- 
lar understood her so well, and thought so much 
of her, that she was not likely to be wounded 
by these little pleasantries ; but this time I saw 
a faint trace of pain cross her face. It quickly 
passed, and was followed by such a beautiful 
look — a look so brimful of motherhood — that 
she had no need to speak, nor did she try. 
Dolly, however, spoke with great spirit and 
energy : — 

“ There seems to be a popular fallacy abroad 
to the effect that the more jaded and faded a 
woman looks, the more motherly she must be ; 
or, to put it in another form, that unless she 
is jaded and faded she can’t be motherly.” 

“Doesn’t that fallacy, as you call it, spring 
from the fact that a mother’s duties are such 
that if she performs them properly she must 
look more or less worn out ? ” said the Practical 
Person. 

“ I must disagree with you there,” said Mrs. 
Hughes. “Before I had children of my own, I 
supposed that what you speak of was a neces- 
sary part of motherhood, and I dreaded it ; for I 
prized my youth and fresh looks, and I knew my 
husband did also. But I thought then, as now, 
that no home could be complete without chil- 
dren. I was passionately fond of them, and I 
made up my mind to the sacrifice. But I very 


8o 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


soon saw that I had been misled in that respect. 
I found that by the exercise of good common- 
sense and intelligence I could have my children 
begin life with health, and could, most of the 
time, preserve that health. I found that by 
feeding a baby properly, and training it to good 
habits, I could make it of very little trouble. As 
I have said, from the first I kept a nurse-girl, not 
alone for the care of the child, but because its 
coming greatly increased the family sewing. If 
I had undertaken to do all, I should have been 
constantly tired, besides finding no time to re- 
fresh my mind and body with reading and study.” 

“ Did your nurse do the sewing ? ” asked the 
Practical Person. 

“ She did all the mending and almost all the 
plain sewing of the whole family ; and I have 
even had some dressmaking done by her.” 

“ She must have differed widely from my 
nurse. If I get her to do the mending I think 
I 've achieved a victory. I have to hire my 
sewing,” said the Millionnaire. 

I rarely ever hired a particle of sewing for 
the children, and very little for the rest of us,” 
said Mrs. Hughes. 

But how could your girl accomplish it ? ” 
asked the Practical Person. 

“She did it in the time that most people’s 
nurses are holding or amusing the baby. My 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 


8l 


babies, from the first, were taught to amuse 
themselves.” 

“ But did n’t she take them outdoors ? ” asked 
a Silent Lady. 

“ Yes ; but in the winter they did not remain 
long, and in the summer the nurse sat out in 
the yard, by the carriage or hammock, and 
sewed. When they were old enough to walk, 
they minded her voice, so she could easily sew, 
and at the same time give them all needful at- 
tention while they played with their toys or dug 
holes in the sand. My babies were all taught 
to sleep right through the night ; by dint of a 
little management they were gradually trained 
to sleep late in the morning, and that gave the 
nurse about two hours before she had to attend 
to them. Then, during their daily nap she was 
again free, so with a machine she could accom- 
plish much sewing.” 

“ I have rarely had a nurse who was willing 
to sew,” said the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ I made that a part of my engagement with 
my nurse,” said Mrs. Hughes. 

“But what did you do if she did n’t know how 
to sew .? ” asked the Practical Person. 

“ I taught her. I had to teach all who came 
to me, to a certain extent ; for even those who 
thought they knew how could not sew well 
enough to suit me. Fortunately, my dear 
6 


82 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


mother taught me the very ladylike accom- 
plishment of nice needlework, and there was 
nothing of that kind I could not teach my 
nurses. Some were much slower to learn than 
others ; if a girl disliked sewing, and showed no 
desire or aptitude for learning, I did not keep 
her. I had to train my nurses in many ways, — 
always in the art of waiting on the table, which 
was one of their duties. Indeed, I have had so 
few servants come to me with any knowledge of 
this latter art, that I have all but decided that 
people out here must reach for themselves at 
their tables.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical Person, 
*‘do you think it is right for a woman to be 
leading a life of leisure while her husband is 
working hard ? ” 

By no means,” answered Mrs. Hughes. “ But 
if she carefully superintends her entire house- 
hold, if she watches over her children and at- 
tends to her studies and social duties, she will 
have little, very little spare time ; she will be 
leading a very pleasant, but a very busy, working 
life.” 

‘‘ But you speak of social duties and studies,” 
said the Practical Person. “ I have always thought 
those came in the list of extras, — especially the 
studies, — and were only to be pursued by people 
of more or less wealth and leisure.” 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 83 

It is undoubtedly true that they do require 
a certain amount of both. There is a class 
who have absolutely no time for them without 
neglecting some more pressing duty ; but the 
majority of people in the higher walks of life 
are not, or should not be, so situated. Most of 
them can, by proper management, so arrange 
their time as to pursue all the occupations of 
which we have been speaking.” 

“ Still,” persisted the Practical Person, “ the 
majority of husbands, even in the class of which 
you speak, are working hard, and it does not 
seem right for their wives to spend much time 
in mere amusement.” 

“ Do you call it mere amusement when a wo- 
man is cultivating and holding a proper position 
in society } ” exclaimed Mrs. Hughes. “ Do you 
call it mere amusement when she is educating 
herself } Can you forget that children will 
grow, that their demands will change and in- 
crease ? Some day they will desire and need 
society. Can a mother who has kept no place 
in society furnish them with suitable compan- 
ions ? Companions of some kind they will have, 
you may be sure, and if the mother is not ready 
to supply them, they will help themselves, so to 
speak. Can a mother who has not trained her 
own mind carefully and rigorously, hope to train 
the minds of her children ? I think that it is 


84 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


almost as unfortunate for children to have an 
uneducated mother, — one who is lacking in in- 
telligence, — as one who is lacking in principle. 
The great mistake of a large number of men 
and women who advocate maternal devotion is, 
that they always think of children as infants. 
The limit of motherhood in their minds is the 
care of those children during a period when 
their wants are almost purely animal. It is then, 
I claim, that a mother may and should econo- 
mize her strength and time, to fit herself to 
respond to the wants of her children when 
their brains — their souls — begin to cry aloud. 
Motherhood, if properly viewed, is most noble 
and elevating. By reason of some differences of 
occupation and nature, the father is not usually 
able to attend to these matters. The social posi- 
tion of the family, the companions of the chil- 
dren, and their education depend almost wholly 
upon the mother.” 

Don’t you think schools answer the needs of 
education } ” asked a Silent Lady. 

“ Yes ; for those who cannot find it at home.” 

“ Don’t you believe in sending children to 
school } ” asked the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ I can only say that I would have considered 
myself painfully deficient in motherhood had I 
sent a very young child to school. My children 
were educated at home until they were quite 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS, 85 


large, — young men and women you might call 
them ; and even then the home education went 
on and formed an important factor in the mental 
training. I had assistants, I myself only teach- 
ing certain branches, for it would be narrowing 
to a mind to receive all its education from one 
person ; but my children have only just begun 
to go out of the house to school or college.” 

“ I am afraid you don’t believe in our public 
schools,” said a Silent Lady, anxiously. 

“ They are noble institutions, for they bestow 
education upon thousands who would otherwise 
grow up to be ignorant, incapable, even vicious 
citizens. But I consider them poor substitutes 
for the training of an educated, liberal-minded 
mother.” 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Sprightly Lady, 
“ many will tell you that in its rough-and-tumble 
life at school a child learns what it cannot learn 
at home.” 

“ That is deplorably true. I do not wish to 
depreciate all of that training, but I certainly 
have tried to protect my children from most of 
it. I consider it a payment a child makes for its 
education; but I always preferred to have my 
little ones learn for a smaller price. I know that 
many cultivated people maintain that it is best, 
for boys especially, to see something of the world. 
I insist that the primal object of home is the 


86 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


shielding of both boys and girls from that very 
world until their characters have been at least 
somewhat strengthened and moulded, and their 
tastes trained. This applies to very young 
children ; as they grow older, I believe in giv- 
ing them glimpses of the world ; but parents 
must use great judgment and care in this, and 
study the peculiar needs of the individual child. 
I do not believe in letting either a young man 
or a young woman step out into the world in 
total ignorance of it, but I would have their 
knowledge come gradually, and only in propor- 
tion as their characters and training warrant 
it ; and certainly I believe that we cannot too 
carefully guard tender childhood. In this mat- 
ter of woman’s education there is another point 
to be made. I feel the mother has some mental 
duties and rights of her own, apart from her 
children. Hamerton, in his * Intellectual Life,’ 
claims that the influence of any individual is 
elevating and useful just in proportion to the 
care bestowed on his own character and mind. 
In the case of people blessed with children, 
those children generally become their strongest 
incentive ; so I have been looking at the mat- 
ter almost wholly from that standpoint. But 
we must not forget that this standpoint is not 
the only one. It would seem as if this were 
a violent digression from our discussion of ser- 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 8 / 


vants ; but it seemed to come about naturally, 
and to be the legitimate outgrowth of that ques- 
tion as to a woman’s right to keep a nurse-girl.” 

I watched the Pale Lady’s face carefully dur- 
ing this latter discussion, and for the first time 
since the Club was formed I detected a look of 
interest there. It was but slight ; yet on that 
face its presence was so unusual that it was 
much more marked, much more significant, than 
a look of deeper interest would have been upon 
any other face there. What, I said to myself, 
if Dolly’s Club were the means of awakening 
this unhappy woman, of calling her to life, as it 
were ! I speculated much as to the possible 
effect of the genuine awakening of such a char- 
acter, — the effect upon her own life and that of 
her family. From her husband I anticipated 
little, — men of his age and stamp seldom change 
much for the better ; but for the lady herself, 
and through her for her children, what might not 
be hoped if she really became interested in the 
subject of true motherhood ? I thought of the 
young and growing characters depending upon 
this very woman for guidance and formation, 
and I saw that she could not be awakened to 
what was strong and good without affecting them 
powerfully. And as it all came before me, a re- 
spect which I had not felt before for Dolly’s 
Club slowly crept into my mind, and I deter- 


88 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


mined to apologize to my little woman for my 
previous levity. 

“While we are upon the subject of nurses, 
Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “ I would like to 
speak of an objection a lady once made to one 
of mine. She considered her too quiet, and was 
certain I ’d have a stupid baby if I did n’t employ 
a livelier nurse. 

“ There was, I should say, almost enough truth 
in the remark to blind one to its error. As a 
general thing, I think American children need 
quiet nurses. We are a nervous, excitable race, 
and everything which tends to check our natural 
tendencies in this direction is a help. On the 
other hand, it is undoubtedly true that little 
children left too much in charge of a very grave 
nurse would become unnaturally quiet, and pos- 
sibly dull. But I should have no fear of this in 
a case like yours, where the little ones had a 
mother who did her duty. But, whatever may 
be said of small children, for babies, so far as 
I know, reputable physicians with one accord 
recommend soft tones, soft lights, and general 
quiet. This jolting of infants ; this romping 
with and screaming at them, talking to them 
and teaching them, — this premature rousing of 
their little brains and weak nerves is by thought- 
ful people almost universally condemned. I know 
young mothers who hold the opinion that unless 


SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. 89 

they talk to their babies the little ones will never 
talk for themselves. It ’s very well to begin to 
do some teaching in this respect when the child 
is old enough ; but few parents wait for that time 
to come. Generally, this training begins at birth, 
— trying to make it laugh, and so on. All this 
noisy treatment of a baby is bad enough when 
indulged in by the members of the family, but 
when it comes from a noisy servant-girl I think 
it is unbearable. Aside from the injury to the 
child, the servant is allowed in this way to be 
entirely too familiar, and the mistress of such a 
maid will generally find that she will overstep 
the bounds of respectful conduct in other direc- 
tions. I have always refused to keep a noisy 
servant.” 

“ So have I,” said Dolly. I dismissed a 
very smart German nurse once for that reason 
alone.” 

There was a little further discussion and com- 
paring of notes on this subject, and then the 
Club adjourned until the next week, — I making 
haste, upon my first opportunity, to see Dolly, 
and lay my increased respect and my contrition 
before her. 


90 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER VI. 

SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 

T HAVE been thinking much, since last see- 
-*■ ing you, on the subject of scientific house- 
keeping,” said Mrs. Hughes, when the ladies 
had reassembled once more. 

“That is giving a new name to an old pursuit. 
It is something like making over an aged gown,” 
said the Sprightly Lady. 

“ The name ought not to be new,” answered 
Mrs. Hughes. “Indeed, I believe that no woman 
can ever be a fine housekeeper until she keeps 
house scientifically, — it matters not if she uses 
another word, so her methods are scientific. I 
often think of the government of the household 
in comparison with the government of the state 
or nation. We regard national government as 
a science worthy the studious attention of states- 
men ; we all look upon political economy as a 
science. Domestic government and domestic 
economy are, it seems to me, very similar in 
kind ; for although, of course, they must be con- 
ducted on a much smaller scale, yet they involve 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 


91 


many of the same principles. If women would 
only study their housekeeping in this light, I 
think the result would be a broadening of their 
minds as well as a great improvement in the 
housekeeping itself. The wife, the mother, is 
the chief executive ; it becomes necessary to 
have servants under her, to carry out her orders, 
and she must choose wisely. I was lately read- 
ing of a recent President, that one of his dis- 
tinguishing traits was his power to choose able 
officers and then take unto himself the credit of 
their work. This sounds rather unjust; but there 

is, nevertheless, a large admixture of justice in 

it. I never yet have seen valuable servants 
under an inefficient mistress. Such servants, 
trained in superior households, might possibly 
fall into the hands, so to speak, of an inferior 
mistress ; but I feel confident that they would 
either shortly leave her or would degenerate. 
To a large extent a woman is justified in taking 
credit for the valuable service of her servants, 
for it is mainly due to her own efficiency. To 
begin with, she has chosen well, and this shows 
knowledge of character. She must possess much 
of the latter, or she will fail in governing her 
servants, — for she cannot successfully pursue 
exactly the same course with any two girls. I 
have had servants with whom I could have a 
few pleasant words, and even make an occasional 


92 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


jest, with no loss of my authority or dignity, and 
no possibility of their taking the slightest ad^ 
vantage of my treatment. I have had other ser- 
vants who could scarcely receive a pleasant good- 
morning from me without straightway becoming 
familiar. The former class of girls are sometimes 
best governed by appealing to their sense of the 
humorous ; with the latter class a uniform dig- 
nity, gravity, almost a severity of speech and 
action was necessary. Some servants — Irish, 
for instance — are easily controlled by an appeal 
to their goodness of heart ; others, merely by 
relying on their sense of right and wrong. But 
it would take too much time even to try to set 
forth the various methods, especially as each 
particular system involves many shades and 
varieties necessary to suit different girls of even 
similar characters. I only cite these instances, 
to prove that there is much opportunity for the 
study of human nature in dealing with our ser- 
vants. I can only make a passing reference to 
children, because they do not properly enter our 
discussions ; but we can all see how earnestly 
we should study their characters and capacities, 
and I think the control of servants involves 
similar principles. There are many other points 
upon which a woman should exercise scientific 
knowledge. One is in the ordering of her 
cooking. Hamerton, among other authors. 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 


93 


discourses in a most interesting manner on the 
effect of a man’s diet upon his particular calling. 
Here is a deep study for a woman. She should 
know the needs of the household, and regulate 
the style of table to these needs.” 

“ I don’t understand,” said a Silent One. 

** If she lives in a cold climate, and her husband’s 
business obliges him to be out of doors much of 
the time, she should provide him with consider- 
able fat and carbon in his food, to keep him 
warm. If his occupation is sedentary, if he uses 
his brains much more than his muscles, she 
should know that he will be unable to digest 
very fat food, and that he mainly needs that 
which supplies the most nutrition in the smallest 
and most easily digested quantities and forms. 
This is sufficient to serve as an illustration ; 
there are many books published now by able 
writers on the science of diet, and even on sci- 
entific cooking; and if a woman wishes, she can 
from them learn the needs of infants, growing 
children, the demands of life in various climates, 
at different times of the year, and in different 
occupations, — in short, all connected with this 
subject which would tend to the preservation of 
the health, vigor, and happiness of her house- 
hold. Let me whisper to you, young married 
ladies, that much, of your husband’s amiability 
and tractability depends upon the way you feed 


94 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


him. There is a world of wisdom in that little 
thing called ' How to Cook Husbands/ which 
is going the newspaper rounds.” 

“ My gracious ! how I have failed in my duty ! ” 
exclaimed the Sprightly Lady. “But I’ll clap 
Billy into the stewpan the moment I get home, 
and serve him up with caper-sauce. I ’ll make 
the stew, and he ’ll furnish the capers.” 

“ It ’s all very funny,” laughed Mrs. Hughes, 
“ but it ’s serious too, — very serious. I was think- 
ing the other day, what a mercy it is that God 
sees not as we see, otherwise He would be in the 
same danger of mistaking tired nerves for irri- 
tability, and dyspepsia for ugly temper. We 
have all, in our reading, run across the grave 
truth that much of the intemperance in the land 
is the result of poor feeding.” 

“For pity’s sake, Mrs. Hughes!” cried the 
Frivolous Lady, “don’t make us believe that 
one shoulders such a terrible responsibility when 
she undertakes housekeeping, or we’ll all rush 
to boarding.” 

“ I never found that I could evade a duty by 
running from it. When I forsook my house- 
keeping and went to boarding, as I have already 
told you, my duty followed me, and continually 
stared me in the face. It is a terribly respon- 
sible thing to live ; but I don’t think it best, for 
that reason, for us all to rush to suicide.” 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 


95 


*‘But we will ! we really will, Mrs. Hughes !” 
said the Sprightly Lady. “You see we don’t 
yet know that there ’s any responsibility in- 
volved in living ; but the moment we find it 
out, we shall feel more depressed than the poor 
youth of Germany did over ‘The Sorrows of 
Werther.’ ” 

“I think the Sorrows of Some Housekeepers 
would make a still more pitiful volume, and 
might result even more disastrously,” said Dolly. 

“ Let us see if they cannot be averted,” re- 
plied Mrs. Hughes. “ We were considering the 
subject of scientific housekeeping. It is a fa- 
vorite topic of mine, for I am very fond of house- 
keeping conducted upon this plan. I think that 
instead of being narrowing, as are the poorer 
methods, it is a very broadening and elevating 
occupation. I spoke of the study of human 
nature, and the art of scientific cookery. There 
are other points to be thought of ; and foremost 
upon the list stands economy. The attainment 
of the best results with the least possible ex- 
penditure is worthy of careful study, and can 
be accomplished only by such. Many women 
economize by setting shabby tables, dressing 
meanly, and furnishing their houses bleakly ; 
there is no science in that. But when you 
see an appetizing table, a neatly, attractively- 
clothed family, and a prettily-furnished house. 


96 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


and learn that but comparatively little money is 
expended upon it all, you may be sure that what 
the mistress lacks in silver she more than makes 
up in brains. Whether she calls herself so or 
not, the woman who presides over that home is 
scientific.” 

“ I wish, Mrs. Hughes, you would tell us 
something about a nice yet inexpensive table,” 
said a Silent Lady. 

“The cook-books have many recipes for dishes 
that are simple and still attractive.” 

“ Oh, I think most of these recipes seem so 
impracticable to beginners ! ” 

“Yes, they do,” said Mrs. Hughes, “and 
indeed many of them really are impracticable ; 
but with the light of a little experience one can 
sift out those that are really of value. I can 
perhaps give you a few hints, and it may be that 
I can even offer you a few new recipes. I read 
in the London ^ Spectator,’ not long ago, an 
article on the expenses of living, and chief 
among those named was the supply of meat 
demanded by the household. Now, of course 
this meat-bill will differ in size in different fam- 
ilies. With us, although we had four grown 
people to provide for (counting our servants), it 
was always very small. We rarely ever had meat 
at breakfast ; our first course was fruit of some 
kind, the next oatmeal, cracked wheat, or some- 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 97 

thing similar, and the last course consisted of 
coffee and eggs, and potatoes in different forms, 
with either toast, muffins, biscuit, or plain bread ; 
occasionally our third course was merely coffee 
and waffles, or nice batter-cakes eaten with 
maple syrup. For dinner, our first course was 
generally soup ; the next was some kind of meat, 
potatoes, one other vegetable, and some sort of 
pickles, spiced fruit, or jelly. Then we often had 
a simple dessert. We usually dined at night, but 
there were seasons when, for some reason, our 
dinner-hour was one or two o’clock. During 
such seasons, for tea in summer we had fruit, 
some kind of bread, occasionally a salad, and 
cookies or some other plain cake. The winter 
teas were more difficult for me to plan, but they 
differed mainly in the meat. Oysters formed a 
very nice treat, but owing to their expense an 
occasional one. Then I sometimes had a rem- 
nant of beef, chopped finely, seasoned, and served 
on thin slices of toast ; or a bit of mutton was 
cut in small thin slices, and stewed with a little 
gravy made from the water in which it had first 
been boiled, and seasoned with a few capers. 
Near the end of the ‘Buckeye Cook-book’ there 
is a recipe for a really nice dish called ‘ Mother’s 
Hash ; ’ it is quite far removed from that hash 
made so famous by boarding-house fare, and 
although not precisely the dish for tea, was 
7 


98 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


one we relished on a cold winter night. That 
portion of the ‘Buckeye Cook-book’ called ‘Frag- 
ments ’ contains many inexpensive yet appetizing 
recipes by means of which housekeepers could 
vary their bills of fare to great advantage. I 
mention the ‘ Buckeye ’ not only because it is so 
good, but also because it is one which young 
housekeepers are most apt to possess.” 

“You spoke of salads, Mrs. Hughes,” said the 
Sprightly Lady. “ We are very fond of those, and 
I wish you would please tell of some that are 
pretty and simple.” 

“ I know a few that possibly you already have. 
They are similar in style, though different in 
taste. One is what I call ‘ Bird’s-nest salad.’ 
Boil hard seven eggs ; when cold, cut each in 
halves, take out the yolks, mash these till per- 
fectly smooth, add one and a half table-spoon- 
fuls of either olive-oil or melted butter, one even 
teaspoonful of mustard, a quarter of a teaspoon- 
ful of salt, mixing each ingredient into the eggs 
thoroughly and separately ; lastly, add enough 
vinegar to give a flavor, but still leave the dress- 
ing stiff enough to stand in place. Next, wash 
and carefully look over a head of lettuce, — I say 
carefully, for otherwise you will be likely to spoil 
your salad by the addition of those little green 
bugs ; spread the lettuce-leaves over the salad 
platter, always putting the smallest leaves around 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 


99 


the edge for trimming. I cut or tear the large 
leaves, and arrange so that each half-egg shall 
rest upon a separate bit of lettuce, and can be 
so put upon the plate at table. Take the emp- 
tied whites of the eggs and stand them on the 
leaves so they will look like little cups. Cut off 
their pointed ends so they can stand more se- 
curely. I never placed them in any particular 
form, but nestled them here and there among 
the lettuce-leaves. Finally, fill them full — heap- 
ing full — of the salad-dressing. The effect of the 
whole dish is very pretty. Another somewhat 
similar salad is made of medium-sized cold boiled 
potatoes. Place the lettuce on the platter as be- 
fore, make the same dressing, but add more vin- 
egar, so that it will be softer. Cut each potato 
in very thin slices ; place eight or ten of these on 
each leaf of lettuce and cover with the dressing. 
Make a sort of wreath around the edge of the 
platter by putting the chopped whites of the 
eggs in the small lettuce-leaves. Cauliflower 
salad is also very nice and very pretty. Take 
a small, shapely cauliflower, and after soaking 
it, head downward, in salt water for about 
two hours, to draw out any bugs, boil it until 
tender ; it must not be soft enough, though, to 
fall apart. Place it on a platter, the edge of 
which you trim with tiny lettuce-leaves. In the 
cracks of the cauliflower place here an olive. 


lOO 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


there a tiny leaf of lettuce, and also here and 
there a few tiny bits of beets, cut in pretty 
shapes ; place a few of these last around the edge 
of the platter. Pour the salad-dressing over the 
whole. A very appetizing dish for lunch or tea, 
with bread and butter, is meat salad. Chop 
fine a bit of beef, all fat or gristle being taken 
out before chopping. Add to this, one quarter 
as much potato, half of a small onion, and 
considerable parsley chopped fine. Mix the 
whole with the salad-dressing. Trim the plat- 
ter’s edge with lettuce, or if that is out of sea- 
son, celery-leaves, or even bleached turnip-tops. 
Mould the meat into a nice shape, and cover it 
with the finely-chopped whites of the eggs. A 
pretty addition is three or five parsley-leaves 
stuck into the salad so that they stand erect 
above the whites of the eggs. This recipe, with 
a trifling difference, is one I took from Mrs. 
Wright’s ‘ Perfect Home.’ Tomato salad is very 
nice and pretty. Take medium-sized tomatoes, 
hollow them out, and fill with salad-dressing. 
Cover the tops with chopped whites of the eggs, 
and trim the edge of platter as you wish.” 

“ Do you use the same dressing for all sal- 
ads } ” asked the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“Yes, because we prefer it ; but others might 
prefer another. A nice dressing is made of raw 
yolks beaten up with olive-oil, — a little of the 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 


lOI 


latter being added at a time until the eggs be- 
come very stiff ; then the mustard and salt are 
added, and finally the whole is made as thin as 
desired by the addition of vinegar. When one 
is in haste, the beating can be done with an 
egg-beater. This dressing is more expensive, as 
it requires considerable olive-oil. I prefer the 
other ; and aside from the taste, an advantage 
to that is, that the whites of the eggs are all 
ready to use in various ways.” 

“ We like a great deal of olive-oil ; we are very 
fond of rich food,” said the Millionnaire. 

Celery will make a nice salad, Mrs. Hughes,” 
said the Sprightly Lady ; “ and it ’s easy to 
prepare. You just cut the nice part into short 
pieces, put these in the centre of the platter, 
pour the dressing over them, and trim the dish 
as you like. I should think that some finely 
chopped whites of eggs would be pretty to dress 
the top of this salad.” 

Now we are on the subject of pretty dishes,” 
said Dolly, “ I must tell you of one I saw lately 
at a little evening company. The pulp of some 
oranges had been taken out, and the skins were 
filled with wine jelly, and on top of it all was 
some whipped cream. It was a beautiful and 
delicious dish.” 

What became of the orange pulp ? ” asked 
the Practical Person. 


102 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


** Why, that could always be utilized,” said 
Dolly. “ I did n’t inquire, but I noticed that we 
had orange-cake that same evening.” 

“ How interesting and instructive are the re- 
sults of an observant mind ! ” said the Sprightly 
Lady. 

‘‘Mrs. Hughes,” said a Silent One, “you 
spoke of doing with but little meat, and yet 
you seem to have had it as often as most 
people.” 

“We ate but little, so a roast of beef or leg 
of mutton of four or five pounds would last us 
several meals. In a measure, we made up in 
milk what we lacked in meat” 

“ So do we,” said Dolly. “ Our milk-bill is 
double our meat-bill.” 

“ I should think you ought to keep a cow,” 
said the Sprightly Lady. 

“ So we ought,” answered Dolly, glancing 
furtively around toward the library where sat 
the scribe. Then she lowered her voice, but 
without avail, for my ear was trained on that 
subject, and could detect the most distant whis- 
per in which the word “ cow ” was mentioned. 

“ My husband,” murmured Dolly, softly, 
“doesn’t like cows very much. He has had 
some trying experiences, but I hope that some 
day we ’ll keep one ; it would really be economy 
for us.” 


SCIENTIFIC HOUSEKEEPING. 103 

Never ! ” quoth I, in my retreat. I was quite 
firm on that point ; for after having been fre- 
quently hooked, pushed, pulled, drawn, and all 
but quartered by a cow, I naturally evaded the 
species. In an unhappy moment, Dolly’s father 
once made her a present of a cow ; but after I 
had led a truly wretched life for several months, 
I told Dolly she must look out for another milk- 
man ; and later I told the cow that, rude as it 
seemed to disturb her dreams of permanency, 
she must seek another home. 


104 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER VII. 

MONEY MATTERS. 

^IV/TRS. HUGHES,” said the Frivolous 
iVX Young Lady, at the opening of the 
next Club meeting, “ are you a supporter of 
Woman’s Rights } ” 

Oh, no,” said Mrs. Hughes, “I am ardently 
in favor of Woman’s Wrongs.” 

“ Oh, Mrs. Hughes, you catch things up so 
quickly that one is fairly frightened ! ” 

“ If one could only be terrified into silence ! ” I 
thought, in secret. 

“ Of course, I mean strong-mindedness, Mrs. 
Hughes ; I don’t like to think it, but it really 
seems so. I don’t believe my husband would 
be willing to have me come here if he knew 
that. I know he ’d leave me if I thought as 
you do. He can’t endure anything like strong- 
mindedness in a woman.” 

I made a mental note at this point to the 
effect that he certainly could find no fault with 
her. She was weak-minded enough to satisfy 
the smallest of men. 


MONEY MATTERS. 


105 


Now that we have touched upon this ques- 
tion,” said Mrs. Hughes, “ I would like to say 
that it is lamentable that women in general are 
so ignorant of their rights.” 

She spoke in that womanly way of hers, so 
full of dignity and sweetness and so void of any 
frivolity or irritation. It seemed to me as if, in 
the face of such strength and womanhood, the 
Frivolous Little Person ought to have shrunk 
away beyond all possibility of recognition. I 
have had my laugh and my sneer too, perhaps, 
at Woman’s Rights, when it has been voiced 
by some noisy, half-educated woman; but before 
such an one as Mrs. Hughes I can only doff 
my hat and listen. Unfortunately, the Frivolous 
Person showed no inclination either to remove 
her hat or to pay attention. 

“ Would you vote ? Oh, Mrs. Hughes ! ” she 
exclaimed ; and then added with polite after- 
thought, “ Oh, well, of course I’ve no objection 
if a woman really wishes to wear pants and go 
to the polls ; but it ’s queer taste.” 

“ There are various branches of Woman’s 
Rights,” replied Mrs. Hughes, with quiet cour- 
tesy. The one that has been especially in my 
mind of late is the financial. I do most earn- 
estly wish women understood their rights in 
money matters. It would seem as if a discus- 
sion of this subject were alien to our purpose in 


io6 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


meeting, but I cannot see how any woman can 
occupy her true position as mistress in her 
household, or regulate it properly, unless she 
bear her legitimate relation to the family purse. 
Many of the opposers of woman’s voting are 
loud in lauding her position as queen of the 
domestic hearth. But the truth is, that very 
few women are queens ; most of them are paid 
dependents, and poorly paid at that. Not long 
ago I heard a wife and mother say, in a moment 
of bitterness, that housekeeping was a very poor 
paying business ; there was but little money in 
it, and less appreciation, and she thought women 
had better engage in something else. I have 
again and again had women say to me, with 
regard to the income received from my paint- 
ing, that they envied me, they so wished they 
had some way of earning money of their own. 
Now, if they had wished for some way of in- 
creasing the family income, I could understand 
their feeling ; but I cannot understand why a 
woman should regard what is earned at the 
office or store as belonging entirely to her 
husband.” 

“ I think she feels so, Mrs. Hughes,” said a 
Silent Member, “because her husband does. I 
believe most men have that feeling.” 

“ I don’t doubt it ; and this opinion on the 
part of the husband must influence the wife. 


MONEY MATTERS. 


107 


It is natural that, under such circumstances, she 
should feel more or less unhappy over money 
affairs ; but such an error should not really de- 
ceive her.” 

“ But what can a woman do about it } ” asked 
the Practical Person. 

“There is a great deal to be done. In the 
first place, as with many other vexatious ques- 
tions, the best time for settlement is before 
marriage.” 

“ Oh, Mrs. Hughes ! you believe in forcing a 
man to make a marriage settlement ! ” exclaimed 
Mrs. Frivolity. 

“ Yes, I believe in a written agreement of 
some kind. I also believe that before marriage 
one should understand a man’s character as 
thoroughly as possible, and feel sure that he will 
not be unfaithful in any way, or try to defraud 
his wife of any rights. All important questions 
should be earnestly talked over before marriage, 
and the temper of both parties upon the various 
subjects learned. If harmony does not exist 
before marriage you may be pretty certain it 
will never come after marriage ; and in such 
a case, for the happiness of both man and 
woman, the engagement ought to be ended. 
They really have no right to marry without 
harmony.” 

“ That ’s all very well, Mrs. Hughes,” said the 


io8 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


Sprightly Lady, but two or three women in 
this world are already wedded. Must they for- 
ever despair of pin-money ? ” 

“ I hope not,” said Mrs. Hughes. “If a woman 
has been so careless of her own and her hus- 
band’s future as to marry without talking all 
these matters over and coming to a definite un- 
derstanding, the next best thing for her is to 
have a post-nuptial conversation. She talks at 
a great disadvantage then, and unless her hus- 
band possesses rare qualities of manhood she 
will be made to feel this disadvantage. But I 
believe that a man must be extremely small who 
will not, sooner or later, see the truth that lies in 
this matter, if his wife presents it to him prop- 
erly. I would not for the world have her com- 
plain or whine or scold about it ; but she should, 
I think, in a quiet, womanly way, show him the 
injustice he is doing her in compelling her to 
ask him, from day to day, for fifty cents or a 
dollar or two, and show him how this latter 
course humiliates her. Let her tell him that 
when she married she understood that she and 
he were to form a firm in which each was equal 
partner. The old marriage service says, ‘With 
all my worldly goods I thee endow ; ’ few women 
ask for more than half. Some men claim that 
in any ordinary partnership both partners do 
equal work ; but that is not quite true. I have 


MONEY MATTERS. 109 

known of many partnerships in which the actual 
physical and even mental labor was very un- 
equally divided, although the division of the 
income had to be exact. One partner perhaps 
possessed an amount of influence which was 
thought to compensate for his lack of actual 
work, and so on. 

“ Now, there is no sum large enough to hire 
any one to fulfil the duties of a true wife, much 
less those of a true mother. I care not how 
many servants a woman may keep, or how com- 
paratively easy her life may seem, the actual 
physical labor is the least part of it, — that can 
be hired, and without very great expense; but the 
love, the tenderness, the solicitude, the watchful- 
ness, the brain-work, the companionship, the edu- 
cation, — all that goes to make up true wifehood, 
true motherhood, — no money on earth can hire. 
Now, does it not stand to reason that in simple 
justice all this should have a pecuniary value, 
as well as a value which money is not sufficient 
to recognize properly } Let a woman, then, with 
the dignity which grows out of conscious right, 
claim her half of the family income. A man 
may deny this claim, but in such a case the 
wife should, I think, assert her right, and tell 
him that this right remains, even though he 
refuse to recognize it ; tell him that he may 
withhold her just share, as he might possibly 


no 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


succeed in evading the law and withholding the 
property of a ward, but that by so doing he is 
committing a great fraud, a sin against his wife 
and himself. It is a disgrace to our land of 
freedom and justice, that the law has not already 
taken this matter in hand. The money power 
is one which men of contemptible character, 
and also those of better character, in small and 
unworthy mood, hold over their wives ; and since 
their manhood is not sufficient, the law should 
restrain them. The law recognizes a woman’s 
right in the property if her husband attempts 
to sell it ; and I hope to live to see the day when 
it will also recognize her right to the income 
from this property, and also from the office or 
store.,. A short time ago I took up an old maga- 
zine and read an article in which Dr. Holland 
discoursed very beautifully upon the sweetness 
of that ownership of the woman by the man in 
marriage. There is much sentiment in such a 
theory, much tenderness ; but that should not 
blind us to the fact that it is none the less 
a relic of the barbarism that governed the rela- 
tionship of man and woman ages ago, and that 
it has been the cause of great injustice and con- 
sequent unhappiness.” 

“ Don’t you think, Mrs. Hughes,” said a 
Silent Member, that men would give more to 
their wives if they had it ? It seems to me that 


MONEY MATTERS. 


Ill 


most of them are inclined to be very generous 
when they are able.” 

“ I don’t deny that, but I object to that word 
‘ giving.’ The money should be handed the wife 
as her right, her property, not as a gift. This 
would remove the sense of obligation under which 
so many men really expect their wives to live, for 
so-called generosity on their husband’s part.” 

“ I don’t think my husband ever really saw 
this matter in its true light,” said another of the 
Silent Members, “ until two years ago. At that 
time he formed a partnership with an elderly 
gentleman who, because of his superior years, 
experience, and ability in that direction, took 
into his charge the financial branch of the busi- 
ness. In consequence of this arrangement, to 
which my husband had given his consent, he 
was forced to ask his partner for whatever 
money he wished to draw ; and he grew more 
and more irritated and nettled under this condi- 
tion of affairs, until finally he said he could stand 
it no longer, and had it changed. I did not fail 
to draw his attention to the analogy which ex- 
isted between his position at the office and my 
position at home. I told him that although men 
supposed that women were made of something 
besides flesh and blood like themselves, and 
were not wearied or rendered nervous by crying 
children, or nettled and humiliated by mone- 


II2 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


tary dependence, yet the reverse was the case. 
There were many minor circumstances attend- 
ing that partnership which greatly benefited me 
at home, by presenting my cause in a more vivid 
light than I could otherwise have done. For 
instance, my husband would tell me of certain 
improvements he had effected at the office in 
the service there, or perhaps the furnishing, and 
say how opposed his partner was upon first men- 
tion of it, but after it had been quietly effected, 
how rarely he raised any objection, — indeed, 
how he sometimes quite rejoiced in it, and even 
on occasions plumed himself, taking the credit 
thereof. All this, I assured my husband, was 
but a repetition of my home experience. I used 
to insist that at the office he was the wife, and 
would often inquire after the health of his hus- 
band. He never had much to say at the time, 
but later I learned how he had thought the mat- 
ter over, for he made an entire change in the 
management of the money matters both at the 
office and at home, and we have both been much 
happier ever since.” 

“ If there is any part of this arrangement of 
which you would not mind speaking to others, I 
think it would help us very much,” said Mrs. 
Hughes. 

“Why, I had just as lief tell it all,” said the 
Silent Lady, who had a slow, somewhat hesi- 


MONEY MATTERS. 


II3 

tating and timid manner. “ We looked over 
our accounts, and decided just about what we 
needed each month for our living expenses. 
Then we divided these expenses ; my husband 
took upon himself the ordering of fuel, the pay- 
ment of rent, and other bills that seemed of an 
outside nature ; while I took charge of all inter- 
nal expenses, — servant-hire, grocery and meat 
bills, clothing for myself and children. There 
was provision made for sundries, and of this 
money I had much the larger share, because 
mine was to answer for the incidental expenses 
of the household as well as myself and children. 
The first of each month the money from the 
office was put in bank ; the portion that we had 
agreed upon for my share was in my name, and 
my husband’s was in his. Any money that was 
received at the office in addition to this was 
equally divided between us and placed to the 
credit of each, to spend or lay up as was thought 
best.” 

“ I should think you might as well have been 
divided yourselves,” said the Frivolous Person. 

A hot flush and look of contempt flashed into 
the face of the Silent Member. Perhaps Mrs. 
Hughes feared an explosion of some kind, for 
she quickly said, — 

“ Oh, no, I don’t think that follows ; but, on 
the contrary, a much closer companionship be- 
8 


14 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


tween husband and wife. It seems to me that 
without some such arrangement no woman of 
any force or elevation of character could rest 
content. She would always, I think, harbor a 
sense of injustice, and be unable, even if his 
conduct in other regards were commendable, to 
give to her husband entire respect and love. 
But this source of irritation and resentment 
being removed, if other conditions are right, 
there may — as most of us, I hope, know by 
happy experience — exist the most perfect con- 
fidence and companionship. In our money 
affairs my husband and myself are entirely sepa- 
rate, and at the same time entirely united.” 

“ That sounds like a fib,” said the Sprightly 
Lady, *‘but it’s built upon a deep underlying 
truth ; I ’m sure of it, if you say so, Mrs. 
Hughes.” 

Mrs. Hughes laughed. She was never of- 
fended, — indeed, few could be by the Sprightly 
One’s mirth. 

“Yes, it really is,” she answered. “We are 
separate, as far as the right to interfere with 
each other is concerned ; we are united, in that 
neither Mr. Hughes nor myself has ever made 
an investment or an expenditure of any impor- 
tance without consultation. If we happened 
to be removed by distance at the time, we con- 
sulted by letter or telegram.” 


MONEY MATTERS. 


I15 

“After such an education in money matters, 
Mrs. Hughes, you would not be left in that help- 
less condition that so many women are when 
suddenly called to take charge of their husbands’ 
affairs,” said the Practical Person. 

Mrs. Hughes’s face changed. I had once seen 
a look of intense motherhood illuminate it ; 
now it was as though it were filled with wife- 
hood, — ■ bereaved wifehood. It was a moment 
before she spoke ; then she said slowly, and with 
some effort, “ No, I should not be helpless in 
that respect.” 

Perhaps to relieve her for a moment, one of 
the Silent Members said : — 

“My husband and I have a similar arrangement 
ill money matters. Unfortunately, however, we 
are not ahead, so there is some difference. A few 
years ago we mismanaged dreadfully, as we can 
see now in looking back, and we have been behind- 
hand ever since. This spring we came to the 
conclusion that we were not paying off our debts 
fast enough, and that although we kept accounts, 
the family expenses were running up higher than 
they ought to ; so after much figuring we de- 
cided on the sum necessary for each month, and 
agreed to limit ourselves to this, foregoing every 
extra. Out of this amount a small sum was 
reserved for incidental private expenses. My 
husband takes his each month, and all the rest of 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


1 16 

the money we have to spend is put in the bank 
in my name. I pay every bill connected with 
the household, — in fact, manage all expenses. I 
have my check-book and bank-book, and I keep 
the strictest accounts, balancing the first of each 
month. My husband works very hard, and his 
business is so engrossing that he has very little 
time outside of his store. I dislike to have any 
part of this time taken for errands, and still 
more to add to his already heavily-taxed mind 
the care of remembering such errands; so, as 
I could very well attend to these matters, and 
especially as attending to them would give me 
a feeling of independence and a most useful 
knowledge, I proposed to undertake it, and he 
was glad enough to be relieved.” 

“ There are many ways of regulating this 
matter,” said Mrs. Hughes ; “ but the result is 
much the same, if that one main idea is kept in 
mind, that the money belongs to the wife just as 
much as to the husband, not by courtesy, not by 
gift, but by right of her having earned it.” 

“ I think,” said Dolly, “ the hardest families 
to arrange this matter in are those where they 
are not ahead, and perhaps are a little in debt, 
and where they never know what to count on, — 
the income varying so that they can only plan 
and spend as the money actually comes into 
their hands.” 


MONEY MATTERS. 


II7 


“ Yes, there are many in that lamentable 
state,” said Mrs. Hughes, “ where the necessarily 
uncomfortable position of the wife is aggravated 
by the lack of recognition of her rights. Such 
a lady was talking to me on this subject lately. 
She said, ‘ My husband is extremely economical. 
He really spends very little on himself, but 
whenever he does spend he has only to take the 
money from his pocket without asking any one ; 
but I often suffer for the want of a dollar when 
I know I could have it, because I can’t bear to 
go and ask for it.’ I don’t know what men 
think of such things, but to me they seem shame- 
fully unjust. In the case I have mentioned, as 
in most families where the means are limited, 
the wife is more than earning her share. She 
is not only trying to perform her duties as wife 
and mother, but she is also taking upon herself 
the duties of servant besides. Her life is neces- 
sarily a very hard one, and certainly should not 
lack the comfort which a recognition of her com- 
monest rights would give.” 

“Oh, Mrs. Hughes, it seems to me you ’re 
making much ado about nothing ! I ’m thank- 
ful we don’t have any such system in our 
household — accounts, and all that. Why, it 
would drive me wild ! ” said the Frivolous Per- 
son. “ When I want money,” she continued, “ I 
say so ; and as I don’t have to earn it, all I get 


Il8 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

is just so much gain. I have credit at some of 
the largest stores, too. My husband makes a 
terrible fuss over the bills sometimes ; but then 
I cry a little, and we make up, — tears will cover 
a multitude of sins, you know ; ” and she laughed 
gayly at her own naivete and adroitness. 

I really felt relieved when Dolly followed up 
this folly by saying, — 

‘‘Don’t you think, Mrs. Hughes, that women 
themselves are mainly answerable for their 
wrongs ? ” 

“ In most cases I do. I earnestly believe that 
when women entertain a more dignified and en- 
lightened view of their rights and position, the 
greater part of these wrongs will melt away.” 

“ How noble it would be for the men to 
step forward gratuitously, and do the hand- 
some thing by us ! ” said the Sprightly Lady. 
“ But we must n’t look for masculine angels, 
I suppose.” 

“ I don’t know about that,” said Dolly ; “ mas- 
culine angels are the only kind on record, I 
believe.” 

“ Yes, but they were all busy with affairs 
celestial. I never heard of one’s coming to this 
wicked world for more than a very brief call,” 
the Sprightly Lady insisted. 

Mrs. Hughes smiled. 

“ I would n’t advise any one to wait for a 


MONEY MATTERS. 


119 

gratuitous settlement,” she said. “ I think the 
safer way is for every woman to give this sub- 
ject careful thought, and then to take such steps 
as she decides her individual case demands. I 
really think that most men — all, I am sure, 
who have any manliness and sense of honor — 
will remedy these evils when their attention is 
really called to them. There are men who are 
incurably mean and dishonorable in this regard. 
Only lately my husband was talking to some 
one, and telling him of the arrangements we 
had made with respect to money matters ; and 
this was his reply : ‘ I would n’t give my wife 
so much rope for a good deal.’ Had any one 
told this man that it was not a case of giving, 
but merely a question as to whether or not he 
would defraud his wife of her lawful share of the 
family earnings, he might have been shocked. 
But I think, as has been suggested, that more 
frequently the blame lies mainly with the wife. 
We have all of us heard women jest about rifling 
their husbands’ pockets, and laughingly tell how 
they made a dollar or two out of them on some 
occasion ; we have heard women tell how much 
they manage to save for themselves out of the 
allowance paid them by their husbands for 
household purposes. All I have to say is, 
that if women choose to accept, in their own 
houses, the position of a hired housekeeper, 


120 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


they must never complain at the results of 
such acceptance.” 

“ I think the position is even inferior to that 
of a housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, 
“for all hired housekeepers receive a salary, 
and have it paid at stated times ; whereas 
many wives have to ask for a little money 
every now and then, and receive it as a sort 
of gift.” 

“Yes, that is true,” said Mrs. Hughes, “or 
else steal it out of their husbands’ pockets, or 
out of the money allowed them for the expenses 
of the household.” 

“ Steal it ! ” said the Frivolous One, tossing 
her head. “ I must say, Mrs. Hughes, you use 
strong language.” 

“There can be no half-way opinion in this 
matter ; either a woman regards the money 
earned at office or store as belonging to herself 
as much as to her husband, or else she regards 
it as entirely his. If the latter case were true, 
she would have no right to a dollar without his 
consent, and whatever she took in any other 
way would be stolen. So all women who hold 
the latter view — as those must who talk about 
making any sum out of their husbands — must 
debase their consciences when they take money 
unknown to him who, in their eyes, is the lawful 
owner of such money.” 


MONE Y MA TTERS. 


I2I 


“ This is laying on color with startling liber- 
ality,” sighed the Sprightly Lady. “ Some of 
us will have to turn Catholic forthwith and bor- 
row five cents of our husbands to buy an indul- 
gence from the Pope.” 

“ Supposing a woman earns money outside 
of her household,” said the Practical Person, 
“ do you think she ought to share it with her 
husband ? ” 

“ Certainly,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ As I said 
before, I regard husband and wife as two mem- 
bers of a firm, the time and abilities of each 
belonging to that firm. We know that the em- 
ployment, by one of a firm, of his time and 
capacity for the making of money which he fails 
to divide, has been justly regarded as dishonest. 
I lately saw in the ‘Nation’ what I thought a very 
proper complaint, — that the law in a certain 
State had exceeded the limits of justice, in ex- 
empting the property of a married woman from 
liability for ordinary household debts, or even for 
her own maintenance. Again, the law is such 
that if a man proves vicious or worthless, and 
repudiates all debts, even though his wife may 
have money in her hands, she cannot be held 
responsible for them, — not even for such as per- 
tain to the family living. Of course we can all 
see the intended beneficence of these laws ; for 
in many cases, where the husband dies or proves 


122 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


worthless, the wife is left in a most helpless con- 
dition, and whatever money she may be able to 
realize from the sale of her furniture, or from 
any other source, is rarely sufficient to supply 
her own and her childrens daily wants. A 
change in this particular law affecting a woman’s 
relationship to the family debts would involve 
cruel suffering, and well-nigh as great injustice 
as the holding of a housekeeper responsible for 
such debts, unless there were also laws properly 
affecting a woman’s relationship to the family 
means. When good laws on the latter point are 
enacted, and the monetary relationship between 
husband and wife becomes what it should be, 
it seems to me that the law would be perfectly 
just in holding the wife responsible for the fam- 
ily debts equally with the husband. She should 
know the strength and weakness of her income, 
and not incur more than she could meet, except- 
ing, of course, in cases of actual destitution. I 
believe either a man or a woman is held guiltless 
for going beyond their means, to prevent physical 
suffering. In connection with this subject, I 
would like to say that it has always seemed to me 
that, in cases where the wife has held her lawful 
position with regard to money matters, and has 
means, either from life insurance or any other 
source, to pay the family debts, she would be 
most dishonorable to repudiate them.” 


MONE y MA TTERS. 1 23 

“ Oh, dear me ! ” sighed the Frivolous Young 
Person. “ All this makes my brains whirl ! ” 

I bent forward here with a longing to suggest 
to her that she mistook the rush of air in a cav- 
ity for the whirling of brains. 

“ Do you think, Mrs. Hughes,” continued the 
Frivolous One, “ that men and women are 
equal ” 

Mrs. Hughes smiled. 

“ I am rather inclined to that opinion,” she 
said, “ though when I see some small, narrow 
men, and some noble women, my belief is a trifle 
shaken. We must not, however, dwell upon such 
points. We have to-day taken up some appar- 
ently irrelevant subjects, but they have seemed 
to me closely connected with our legitimate 
theme, — the management of servants. It is 
impossible to discuss that subject broadly and 
thoroughly without touching upon several others, 
just as it is impossible fully to discuss the 
troubles of the stomach without treating at 
some length those of the liver, the heart, and 
several other organs. But one thing is quite 
certain,” Mrs. Hughes added, rising rather ab- 
ruptly, after a glance at her watch, “we shall 
have to postpone not only kindred topics, but 
servant-girls themselves, until another meeting, 
for we have, I see, exceeded our time.” 

“ Yes,” said the Sprightly One, “ I must 


124 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


hasten away. What you said about half of a 
married woman’s earnings belonging to her hus- 
band is pricking me terribly. I confess to hav- 
ing been scandalously corrupt. Week before 
last I made a nickel off the rag-man, and I did n’t 
give Billy his two and a half cents. I must run 
home and divvy up ere I place my dishonest 
head upon a pillow.” 


THE SEE FA NTS’ SIDE, 


125 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE servants’ SIDE. 

T T occurred to me the other day,” said Mrs. 

J- Hughes, when the ladies were once more 
assembled, “ that we had done a great deal of 
talking on our side, and but little on the ser- 
vants’, — I mean with regard to their lawful 
privileges.” 

“ I think they have too many privileges now,” 
observed the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ I should say they had ! ” exclaimed the Friv- 
olous Lady. “For my part, I scarcely dare say 
my soul ’s my own, to my cook.” 

“ They have both too many and too few privi- 
leges, it seems to me,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ In 
some families they are allowed to be too familiar, 
and take undue liberties, while at the same time 
their lawful rights are disregarded. I believe in 
granting them every possible privilege that does 
not interfere with the proper performance of 
their work, or with a proper conception of their 
position.” 

“ I agree with you there,” said Dolly. “ I 


126 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


think their work is very disagreeable and hard, 
and they need every possible comfort.” 

“ Oh, they don’t regard their work as we 
would,” said the Practical Lady ; “ they are 
much stronger than we are, and they are used 
to it, too.” 

“ I think we are too apt to ease our consciences 
with that thought,” persisted Dolly. I know I 
used to ; but last fall one of my servants taught 
me a lesson. She had lived with me several 
months, and I liked her very much. After a 
while, however, I noticed that she was growing 
dull and listless, and did not seem to take much 
pains with her work. All at once she told me 
that she must leave, to attend her sister’s wed- 
ding ; and she added that when she came back to 
the city she and this sistej were going to dress- 
making. I talked with her awhile, and after ask- 
ing a number of questions, I found that they had 
no definite arrangements made, no promise of 
work, but had decided, at random, as it were, to 
make dresses for a living. I told her that she 
could not earn as much as by doing housework, 
and that the work would be much less healthful ; 
that in order to earn her board, lodging, and 
even less than her wages came to weekly right 
through the year, she would have to sew very 
hard. But what I said did n’t seem to make 
much impression on her ; and at last, attracted 


THE SERVANTS' SIDE. 


127 


by her manner, I said, ‘ Mary, you are tired of 
housework.’ I never shall forget the weary way 
in which she looked at me as she turned and 
said, ‘ Oh, I am so tired of it ! ’ I felt very 
badly, for I wanted my servants to be happy, 
and to have as comfortable a life as possible. I 
asked her if there was any one particular thing 
more than another in her work that seemed 
hard. I hoped I could discover some especial 
evil and remedy it ; but she did not particular- 
ize. I encouraged her to talk freely with me, 
for I wanted to learn from her ; and she went 
on to say that it seemed to her as if her days 
were made up of a ceaseless round of dish-wash- 
ing, scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, and cooking, 
not to mention the washing and ironing. There 
was no end to the work, and not much escape 
from it. If she went out any afternoon she had 
first to wash the dishes, and then hurry back to 
prepare a meal. She said she had been doing 
housework for several years, and she always 
noticed that after a girl had kept at it long she 
broke down, and then she was of no use to her- 
self or any one else. I saw that it would be 
out of my power to enhearten her by talking, 
so I decided that the best thing for her to do 
was to try a change. I told her that she might 
think best to return to housework after she had 
rested awhile. Sure enough she did, after she 


128 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


had been gone two months and had tried various 
kinds of work. She heard I was going to dis- 
miss the servant I had engaged in her place, and 
she came to see if I would take her back again. 
I gladly did, for she was a good girl, and I told 
her very frankly that I had never forgotten her 
talk with me, and that it had led me to make 
some important changes in my work, so that I 
felt I could offer a girl a better place than I had 
heretofore had for her.” 

“ What changes did you make } ” asked the 
Sprightly Lady. “ I shall immediately ‘ rener- 
gade ’ my household, as Mrs. Partington would 
say.” 

For one thing, I tried to show her how, by 
the use of energy and system, she could accom- 
plish her work in less time, and I let her see she 
would be the gainer by this. I made every effort 
to secure her evenings for her, and then — ” 

“ Excuse me for interrupting you,” said Mrs. 
Hughes, “but I do wish you would dwell on 
that point at greater length. I so often feel 
indignant at the great indifference so many 
mistresses seem to feel about their servants’ 
evenings.” 

“ It is n’t always possible to give them their 
evenings,” said the Practical Person. 

“ No, not always ; there will come times, of 
course, when we must have their services then, 


THE SERVANTS^ SIDE. 


129 


but when their work is so arranged — or I could 
better say disarranged — as to demand almost 
every evening, I think injustice is done them 
if they are not warned of this in their engage- 
ment, — and more than that, if they are not 
paid for night work. I think there are very 
few clerks so employed who are not paid accord- 
ingly ; and a servant should be.” 

“ I suppose, then, Mrs. Hughes,” laughed the 
Practical Person, “if you called on a servant 
to pass water in the evening, you would raise 
her wages.” 

“ Certainly,” said the Sprightly Lady ; “ a 
nickel a drink ! ” 

Mrs. Hughes laughed, but she was not to be 
shaken. 

“ No,” she said, “ I was not referring to any 
such trifling service as the answering of a door- 
bell or bringing a glass of water, — though I can 
say this, that at my house we call on the ser- 
vants as little as possible in the evening; but 
there are many families where the dinner-hour 
is such that the cook could not possibly clear 
away everything before nine o’clock. In other 
households the hour set for dinner is reasonable 
enough, — six, it may be, — but the gentleman of 
the house is so irregular that though the ser- 
vant occasionally has her evenings, generally she 
does not.” 


9 


130 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


‘‘But, Mrs. Hughes,” objected a Silent Mem- 
ber, “supposing a man’s business is such that 
he cannot come promptly to his meals ; we know 
that doctors can’t keep regular hours.” 

“ I think that such people ought to pay an 
extra price to their servants, or else offer extra 
daytime privileges to compensate them for the 
loss of their evenings.” 

“ I suppose, Mrs. Hughes, you think people 
ought to take dinner in the middle of the day, 
but we prefer to dine at night,” said the Million- 
naire, with a stylish sigh. 

“ We dine at night also,” quietly replied Mrs. 
Hughes. “Two o’clock used to be our hour. 
Now, however, Mr. Hughes’s business permits 
him to make it half-past five. We rarely vary a 
moment in sitting down, and as the waitress 
helps to clear away the dishes, all the work is 
finished by seven o’clock.” 

“ Supposing you kept no waitress, what 
then ? ” asked the Practical Person. 

“ Before I kept a waitress, or had a butler’s 
pantry, I allowed the cook to leave all the din- 
ing-room dishes, china, glass, and silver, neatly 
piled on a small side-table in the dining-room. 
These dishes were out of our sight as we sat in 
the parlor, and could be quickly washed in the 
morning. It was not, of course, my chosen 
way, but it was the best I could do then, and 


THE SERVANTS^ SIDE. 131 

it seemed to me more just than to take my 
servants’ own time to put my dining-room in 
perfect order.” 

‘‘Supposing, Mrs. Hughes, you had had a 
tardy husband, what would have become of 
Biddy then, poor thing ” asked the Sprightly 
Lady. 

Here I shrank farther into my retreat, for I 
felt that these remarks were becoming disturb- 
ingly personal. I was tardy myself occasionally. 

“ I had that domestic grievance once,” said 
Mrs. Hughes, with a smile ; “ but I sat down to 
dinner promptly.” 

“ Was Mr. Hughes sent to bed without his 
dinner?” inquired the Sprightly Lady, with an 
air of concern. 

“ No ; but when h-e came I laid the matter 
before him — ” 

“ What, — the lecture, or the dinner ? ” asked 
the Sprightly One. 

“ ‘ Both, your Majesty ! ’ ” laughed Mrs. 
Hughes ; “for I waited on him myself, and I took 
care that my discourse should follow a good din- 
ner. In fact, I did not say anything the first time 
or two, and at last, when I did speak of the ser- 
vants’ rights and hardships in this respect, Mr. 
Hughes had the manliness and good sense to 
see the justice of it all, and as there was no real 
cause for his tardiness, he corrected it, very 


132 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


much to the benefit of his health, as well as to 
our servants’ comfort.” 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes,” persisted the Practical 
Person, ‘‘some men cannot be regular — doc- 
tors, for instance.” 

“ I think most irregular men could improve 
if they tried hard enough, even doctors. The 
trouble with such is, that because they are 
obliged to be somewhat lax, they learn to look 
upon their irregularity lightly, and often prac- 
tise it unnecessarily, not realizing how much 
they are adding to the toils of the servants and 
the cares of the housekeeper. At the risk of 
repeating myself again and again, I must say 
that I think servants, as a class, are very hardly 
dealt with, and I earnestly believe that more 
competence on the part of their mistresses, 
added to more justice and kindness, would al- 
most entirely abolish these servant troubles, the 
outcry about which rings from shore to shore 
of our country.” 

“ It might be more discreet, Mrs. Hughes, to 
lay the blame on the servants, since they are not 
here and cannot fight back,” said the Sprightly 
Lady. 

“ More discreet, and likewise more cowardly,” 
said Dolly. 

“ I think the servants have been blamed too 
much already,” Mrs. Hughes continued. “ They 


THE SERVANTS’ SIDE. 133 

have faults enough, without being made to bear 
those of other people.” 

“ I fear, Mrs. Hughes,” observed the Imita- 
tion Millionnaire, with polite severity, “ you 
would revolutionize our whole service.” 

“I wish she might,” responded one of the 
Silent Members, whose face had a careworn 
look. “ I would n’t care who was blamed, myself 
or my servant, so the remedy was pointed out.” 

“ Many women,” said Mrs. Hughes, “ complain 
that their lot in life is needlessly made much 
harder than the lot of men. You can look about 
you in any assemblage, and you will see the 
word 'injustice’ written on the faces of a large 
number of the women. And yet, when women 
have to deal with women, they aggravate rather 
than decrease this very element of injustice. 
For my part, I never could see why a great 
number of day laborers in our country should 
earn from one to two dollars a day, and have 
their working-time reduced from twelve to ten 
and from ten to eight hours, while the large 
mass of working-women are expected to be on 
duty from five or six in the morning until nine or 
ten at night, and in many families to be actively 
employed most of that time, — Sundays included, 
— for the sum of thirty or forty cents a day.” 

" And their board, Mrs. Hughes ; you forget 
that,” said the Practical Person. 


134 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“Yes,” said Mrs. Hughes; “but in many 
families the board is only worthy of being for- 
gotten. No ; deny or evade it as we will, there 
is clearly a wrong in this difference between the 
service of men and women. We are greatly 
indebted to our servants ; they save us both 
time and strength, and take much that is hard 
and disagreeable out of our lives. But our 
return for all this is most meagre.” 

“ Well, Mrs. Hughes, if your ideas were car- 
ried out — I mean, if we had to pay women as 
much as men — most of us would have to do 
without servants,” said the Practical Person. 

“I am reminded just here of one of Mr. 
Beecher’s sermons, in which he dwelt at length 
upon the care of the slave which was enjoined 
by the Lord in olden times. He said that it 
was not every one who could afford to keep 
slaves under those conditions ; and that it was 
just so in our country, — the moment that slave- 
holders were compelled to do full justice to their 
slaves, that moment slavery became too expen- 
sive a luxury.” 

“Would you then abolish servants, Mrs. 
Hughes?” queried the Imitation Millionnaire, in 
such icy tones that I felt she ought to be put in 
the oven for an hour or two. 

“No, I don’t think that would be necessary; 
but I would have them very differently treated. 


THE SERVANTS' SIDE. 1 35 

A lady friend of mine was almost offended with 
me when she learned that I was paying my cook 
what she termed too high wages. She said that 
I was inflicting a wrong upon other ladies by 
so doing. I know of a lady who is wealthy, and 
who pays her cook but three dollars a week, not 
because she can afford no more, but because she 
takes her stand upon high moral grounds, and 
thinks that she has no right to unsettle service 
by paying extravagant wages. Some time ago 
I read in a magazine a short article on the ser- 
vant question, which contended that it was unjust 
to fix upon one average price, and pay this to 
the skilled and the unskilled alike ; and with this 
sentiment I heartily agree.” 

‘‘But, Mrs. Hughes,” exclaimed the Practical 
Person, with some excitement, “ do you see 
where all this is going to lead us } ” 

“ That is a secondary matter beside the ques- 
tion, ‘ Is it right ’ ” answered Mrs. Hughes. 

“Certainly,” said the Sprightly Lady; “if 
it 's time to take a bath, don’t go to poking a 
stick in the water, to see whether you ’re 
going to alight on rock or sand ; just hop in, 
head first.” 

Everybody laughed here, particularly those 
ladies whose faces expressed opposition to the 
new suggestions ; but Mrs. Hughes proceeded 
quietly : — 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


136 

As I said before, I don't think that justice 
and kindness would abolish service. I believe, 
however, that it would be improved thereby. It 
is true that many, perhaps the large majority 
of families, could not afford to employ skilled 
labor; but in that respect I don’t think they 
would be any worse off than they are now. 
There are, and probably always will be, many 
young, inexperienced girls, whose strength and 
time would be of aid. Various arrangements 
might be made with such servants ; if they were 
docile, and reasonably bright, they might be paid 
a small sum — perhaps a dollar a week — in 
addition to their board, for three months ; then, 
if they had improved sufficiently to warrant it, 
two dollars a week for another three months. 
By this time they ought to become very com- 
petent servants.” 

^‘And this would be about the time they 
would murmur ^By-by’ to the poor little pov- 
erty-stricken instructress, and pass over to 
some ten-dollar-a-week lady,” said the Sprightly 
Member. 

“Yes, indeed!” murmured an indignant 
chorus. 

“ That could be prevented by arranging that 
the girl should continue her service for mod- 
erate wages — three dollars a week, perhaps — 
for six months after she became competent.” 


THE SERVANTS' SIDE. 1 37 

“ How could you hold her ? ” asked a Silent 
Member. 

That might be managed by making a written 
agreement with her when she first came, and 
paying her but a small part of her wages until 
the end of the year. For myself, though, I 
would prefer to draw up the contract and merely 
trust to her honor to keep it. I have again and 
again trusted to a servant’s honor in matters of 
this kind, and in an experience of some years 
have rarely ever been disappointed.” 

What of this domestic lady, after she be- 
comes skilled and has served her six months .? ” 
asked the Sprightly One. 

“ I cannot pretend to set positive wages, but 
I can give it as my opinion that skilled service, 
instead of receiving too much at present, does 
not receive enough. Compensation would, I 
think, be the key to the difficulty arising from 
the payment of very high wages by the wealthy 
few. Probably a large number, even of those who 
are comparatively well off, could not afford to 
give such wages, but they might give somewhat 
more than they do, if they denied themselves 
needless things ; and this, with the addition of 
many privileges in the way of time not granted 
by those who paid more, would probably always 
insure them good servants.” 

“ Oh, my husband says it ’s all nonsense for a 



138 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


woman to think of earning as much as a man ! ” 
exclaimed the Frivolous Lady. ‘‘ He says that 
they lack permanency, and so they are not of 
as much account. He says that the moment a 
woman is well broken in to any business she 
flies off and marries.” 

That is largely true in some occupations, and 
must, of course, impair the value of female ser- 
vice, but I cannot believe that it applies here. 
I think that we could find as many female as 
male servants who had remained in the same 
place a number of years; and yet it often hap- 
pens that a man will be paid more, even in this 
capacity, than a woman. A friend of mine in 
a distant city told me that the highest price 
paid to a cook was from seventeen to twenty 
dollars a month, while a coachman in the same 
place received as much as forty dollars ; and his 
work was seldom so hard, and, indeed, called 
for less knowledge and skill. Such things are 
unjust.” 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes,” exclaimed the Practical 
Person, “surely you wouldn’t have us pay girls 
forty dollars a month ! ” 

“No, I think those wages too high, excepting 
in very rare cases ; but I also think it wrong to 
pay them to coachmen.” 

“Mrs. Hughes, I think you lose sight of some 
points in this question,” said the Practical Per- 


THE SEE VA NTS* SIDE. 


139 


son. “When men earn two and three dollars 
a day as laborers, it is not in some situation 
which they can render comparatively permanent 
if they will, but for what might be called odd 
jobs usually ; and although some of the most for 
t unate do have steady work the year through 
at such rates, they are not in the majority by 
any means. Then, again, I know that in the 
payment of their employees, business men often 
make a distinction between single and married 
men, paying the higher 'wages to the latter.” 

“ I bear all this in mind, I think, and for that, 
among other reasons, do not advocate paying 
our servants two or three dollars a day ; but all 
you have just said does not argue away the in- 
justice of paying single men forty dollars a 
month and their board, when they are employed 
as coachmen, while the cook, and also the laun- 
dress, in the same family, receive but twenty 
dollars monthly. No ; we cannot deny that 
there is a wrong here which must needs be 
righted some time or other. Look at the cases 
where married women are hired by the job. 
Some of us grumble a little if we have to pay 
a woman a dollar and a half for standing at an 
ironing-board all day. It does not matter if 
she understands her business and does up our 
clothes beautifully, we think she is well paid for 
it ; and if she finishes her work by four or five 


140 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


in the afternoon we feel quite injured, and tell 
how Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Jones once had a laun- 
dress who came at seven and worked till seven, 
for a dollar and a quarter. A shame on Mrs. 
Smith or Mrs. Jones, I say, to take a working- 
woman’s time, strength, and skill, without paying 
her for them ! No dollar and a quarter ever 
paid for eleven or twelve hours laundry-work, if 
the work was at all well done ! I am ashamed of 
my sex whenever I hear 'of such things. And 
there are sewing-girls who are wronged, too. 
How much has been written to induce people to 
hire them for seventy-five cents or a dollar a 
day ! We would think a dollar and a half very 
high, and two dollars out of the question, even 
if they took but one meal at our houses.” 

“Mrs. Hughes,” said one of the Silent Mem- 
bers, upon whose face the word “injustice” was 
certainly written, if ever it was written upon 
any woman’s countenance, “ women are not 
wholly to blame in this matter, for the majority 
of housekeepers have so little money allowed 
them for household expenses, and have so little 
strength left after attending to the demands of a 
number of children, that they have to get their 
work done for the least possible amount.” 

“There is both comfort and humiliation in this 
thought, — comfort in the hope that when wo- 
men have their rights they will deal more honor- 


t 


THE SERVANTS' SIDE. 


141 


ably by their own sex, and humiliation in the 
knowledge that they are so deeply wronged 
now.” 

“ Oh, really, Mrs. Hughes, men can’t always 
help it!” exclaimed the Sprightly Lady. “Don’t 
chastise the poor fellows with scorpions when 
they don’t deserve it. Some of them are as 
poor as Job’s celebrated fowls, you know.” 

“ Yes, I know that ; but there is nevertheless 
a wrong, — one that we cannot take up now, as it 
has but a remote connection with the servant 
question, and is, indeed, difficult to deal with at 
any time. But I can say this much, and then 
return to the main subject of our discussion. 
Unless sickness or some unlooked-for calamity 
has made a great and unexpected change in the 
aspect of home affairs, there is always a wrong 
involved when women are so heavily burdened 
with cares that they cannot order aright their 
own lives and those of others over whom they 
have control. I had intended merely to touch 
upon this question of servants’ wages, inasmuch 
as very little that is definite can be said upon 
the subject. In my experience I have found, 
even since my income justified me in giving the 
highest wages, that, except in rare cases, where 
the value of the servant is unquestionable, it is 
better to begin with the payment of moderate 
wages, promising an increase at the rate of half 


142 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


a dollar a week, perhaps, every few months, if 
the girl’s acquirements should justify it. House- 
work is,, in many respects, so variable, — differ- 
ent families have such diverse ways of doing 
their work, — that a girl almost always has much 
to learn in a new place ; and for this reason, and 
also because the increase of wages gives her an 
incentive to remain, it is wise to adopt this 
plan. I have generally done so, telling the ser- 
vant, upon her engagement, when I would raise 
her wages, and to what sum, that she might 
know just what to expect. Indeed, I have the 
articles of our agreement very plainly drawn up, 
and in some cases put down in writing.” 

Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “ do you object to 
a girl’s asking a great many questions when she 
comes to apply for a place ? ” 

“ Certainly not. I ask many myself as to her 
knowledge and references. Why should she not 
want to know about her work, — to know what 
she is undertaking .? Of course a girl may make 
her inquiries in an insolent manner, and in such 
a case I would reject her ; or she may show, by 
the style of her inquiries, that she is one of those 
who will go just so far and not an inch farther, in 
responding to necessary demands, and I always 
reject any one who betrays such a disposition ; 
but I have for years past had very little trouble 
either in engaging or keeping servants. Sick- 


THE SERVANTS^ SIDE. 


143 


ness, marriage, or removal of their families, have 
been the only causes of my changing, or their 
leaving me.’* 

“ Do you tell a girl all your requirements upon 
engaging her } ” asked Dolly. 

“ No, that would be impossible. I learn some- 
thing of her abilities, and then after telling her 
of my few rules about the servants’ table, their 
dress, and so on, I say something like this : 
‘You will find me very strict and particular in 
some things, but you will also find, I think, that 
I do not begrudge my servants any privilege 
or pleasure which it is possible for me to grant. 
Indeed, it would be a grief to me to learn that 
one of my maids was unhappy. I want you to 
have your pleasures, and will often be willing 
to put myself out considerably to give them to 
you. I shall do the very best I can by you, and 
I shall look to you to do the very best you can 
by me.’ ” 

“At this point,” said the Sprightly One, “ they 
should begin to use their kerchiefs violently.” 

Mrs. Hughes laughed. 

“ No, they don’t weep here, but they are never- 
theless impressed by the idea that they are go- 
ing to be justly and kindly treated. And if they 
are so treated, — if we constantly, by words, and 
by example, which is more powerful, set before 
them the value of honor and justice, — we shall 


144 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


find that, in the long run, they will treat us 
well also.” 

“ Now we are upon the subject of servants’ 
privileges,” said Dolly, “ what time do you allow 
them for their own, Mrs. Hughes.?” 

Mrs. Hughes was about to reply, when she 
suddenly glanced at the clock. 

“Speaking of time,” she said with a laugh, 
“ reminds me that it is high time I held my 
peace for to-day.” 

“Let it be agreed, then, that servants are 
to have no time at all until we meet again and 
decide upon the proper quantity,” said the 
Sprightly Lady ; and with that, the Club ad- 
journed. 


SERVANTS^ LEISURE TIME. 


145 


CHAPTER IX. 

servants’ leisure time. 

' I ^HE Sprightly Lady opened the next meet- 
ing by saying, in a tone of deep solicitude: 

“ Is it not almost time our poor servants had 
a vacation of some sort ? They have been shut 
up for a week now.” 

What time do you think we ought to give 
them, Mrs. Hughes ” asked Dolly, repeating 
herself, unlike Shakespeare. 

“Well, I must say, I think the Club is taking 
a queer turn. I supposed we met to increase 
our privileges in dealing with these servants, but 
it seems we are here to increase theirs ! ” ex- 
claimed the Frivolous Person. 

“ There are two sides to this matter, as there 
are to every right ; it is only wrongs that are 
one-sided.” Mrs. Hughes spoke almost severely, 
an unusual tone for her ; but I think that the 
Frivolous Young Person had strained her pa- 
tience. “ As to the matter of a servant’s time 
one can fix no rules, because the needs of differ- 
ent families are various ; but I really think that 
10 


146 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

they might have more time than is usually given 
them. It seems too bad to allow a servant but 
one afternoon during the week-days, and to ex- 
pect her then to hurry home and get a dinner or 
supper, Sundays, too, families are often incon- 
siderate ; they like a dinner in the middle of the 
afternoon, and the poor servant is unable to get 
out until near evening. We forget that most of 
us live a long way from the homes and churches 
of these girls, and much of their time is con- 
sumed in merely going and coming. I have 
often heard ladies express indignation at the un- 
willingness of servants to go far out of town ; 
but we ought not to feel so. We would not 
like to live at a great distance from our friends, 
the churches, and the stores, if our leisure 
time was as limited as theirs. It is a poor 
comment upon our characters that such is the 
case, but we certainly do need to be often re- 
minded of the fact that our servants are human 
beings. They have their needs as well as we, 
and one of these needs is pleasure, — recrea- 
tion ; and we should see to it that it is properly 
supplied.” 

“ I don’t believe in allowing servants to stay 
out after ten o’clock at night, nor in letting them 
take the door-key,” said a Silent Member. 

“ Oh, I don’t care how late they stay, so they 
do their work!” exclaimed the Millionnaire. 


SERVANTS’ LEISURE TIME. 


147 


“ I can’t agree with that,” said Dolly. 

“ No,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ I think we are 
largely responsible to God if our servants go to 
ruin in body or soul, and they might do so if we 
were thus careless about them. They are more 
than machines ; and although the doing of our 
work is an important consideration, it is not 
the only one. Ten o’clock is, in many cases, a 
reasonable hour ; but I often make exceptions. 
I tell my servants that it is not possible for them 
to sit up late nights and do their work properly 
the next day without injuring their health. They 
rarely ever are later than ten in going to bed 
when they go to church ; but they attend a club- 
meeting once in a while, and then it is generally 
eleven, sometimes later, before they return. I 
think that if all ladies would consider their ser- 
vants a little more, and on such evenings let 
them start out earlier, they would not have to 
stay so late ; for my servants tell me that on 
account of the tardiness of the members in 
getting there, it is often half-past eight before 
the programme begins, — then comes a supper, 
and on some occasions a little dance.” 

“ The gay Bridgets !” murmured the Sprightly 
Lady. 

“ Yes,” continued Mrs. Hughes, “ the young of 
most animals of which we have any knowledge 
like and need recreation ; and though the read- 


148 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


ing of Baxter’s ‘ Saint's Rest ’ may be sufficient 
for an aged Christian, it is not generally so for a 
young servant-girl. With regard to my servants’ 
evenings, as I have often said, I have never yet 
felt that any wages we gave them was sufficient 
to pay for night work ; but I have a continual 
oversight and authority over their night as well 
as their day, for the sake of their characters, j ust 
as many an employer has a knowledge of the 
manner in which his employee spends his leisure, 
and indeed some authority as well. I think I 
have my servants’ confidence ; they tell me 
where they are going, and the next day I always 
ask if they had a pleasant time, and am inter- 
ested in hearing something of what went on. 
When they are out unusually late, I generally 
contrive to have them rest a little the next day 
and go to bed early the next night.” 

“ I feel it ’s a mercy if they don’t want to run 
out every night,” said the Practical Person. 

“ I don’t allow that, excepting in rare in- 
stances ; for even if the places to which they 
went were all proper, I think it would be in- 
jurious to them to go out so much. Christmas 
week there is a great deal going on, and I let 
the servants dissipate a little, as do the rest of 
us. I like considerable gayety at that time my- 
self, and I am anxious that the servants should 
have a good time. We all rest afterward.” 


SERVANTS' LEISURE TIME, 


149 


“ Do you have anything to say about your 
servants’ evenings when they stay at home ? ” 
asked Dolly. 

“ I try to influence them to employ their time 
to advantage, — to do their mending and some 
of their plainer sewing (I let them use my ma- 
chine), and I try to supply them with simple 
but improving reading.” 

I think they must have a pretty good time 
in your house,” said the Imitation Millionnaire, 
with the faintest, most fashionable trace of a 
sneer. 

“ I hope they do,” answered Mrs. Hughes ; 
“ I should grieve to think I had an overworked 
or unhappy servant in the house.” 

“ Do your servants never have to work 
nights } ” asked a Silent One. 

“Yes; in emergencies, such as times of sick- 
ness, or when I am preparing for a journey, I 
sometimes have to call on them, — or rather I 
should say they volunteer, for they seldom have 
to be asked. If they know I am in any extrem- 
ity they appear at once. But if they do extra 
work for me, I generally compensate them by 
a present, or by some privilege — though not 
always ; sometimes, for their sake, I accept 
their service as I would accept the service of a 
friend.” 

“Surely, Mrs. Hughes,” exclaimed the Imi- 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


150 

tation Million naire, “ you don’t count your ser- 
vants your friends ! ” 

*‘Not in a social sense, but in the broader 
sense of humanity I do, and I trust I have 
proved myself their friend.” 

“Why, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Frivolous 
Lady, “ I have always heard that you were an 
aristocrat ! ” 

“ If that means I have strong feelings on the 
subject of caste, you have heard aright ; but of 
that, perhaps, we had better speak at some other 
time.” 

“ What about servants’ company, Mrs. 
Hughes } ” asked a Silent Lady. 

“ I always made my servants understand that 
their friends were welcome, out of working 
hours. On special occasions they have had 
the privilege of inviting several friends to take 
dinner with them.” 

“ ' High life below stairs ’ ! ” murmured the 
Sprightly Lady. 

“ And whenever any relatives or especial 
friends from another city came in to see them, 
they were allowed to invite them to stay to 
whatever meal was at hand.” 

“ I think your kitchen must have been full 
of company half the time,” said the Imitation 
Millionnaire. 

“ No, it was not. I think you would find, as 


SERVANTS' LEISURE TIME. 151 

I have, that good servants appreciate but never 
abuse this privilege, and . I never extend it to 
any others; in fact, I never keep any others. 
There is a point in connection with a servant’s 
time of which I would like to speak. I once 
heard a friend complain bitterly because, after 
setting out her Sunday evening tea, she discov- 
ered that her servant was upstairs, instead of 
being out of the house, as she had supposed. 
She thought the girl ought to have come down 
and helped. This struck me as very unjust. 
Considering the fact that these employees of 
ours work for us seven days in the week, instead 
of six, as most others do, a certain amount of 
leisure is their right. Now, if instead of going 
out the girl prefers to take that time to sew or 
rest at home, I don’t think I should call on her 
any more than if she were at the North Pole, 
I make this clear to my servants, telling them 
that if they wish to spend their leisure at home 
they will be just as uninterrupted, so far as my 
work is concerned, as if they were at the home 
of some friend.” 

I think that many ladies are unreasonable 
and unjust toward their servants,” said Dolly, 
with much force. 

There is no doubt of that,” said Mrs. 
Hughes, “ but the law of compensation finds 
them out. I know a number of mistresses who 


152 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


are really their servants’ slaves in many ways. 
They have been unjust, unreasonable, and mean 
for so long that they have acquired a bad name 
among the girls, and their house is avoided. I 
think it must be mistresses of this sort whom 
I have occasionally seen at intelligence offices 
fairly begging girls to come to them, offering 
them all sorts of foolish indulgences, and so 
humbling themselves before them that they 
must have inspired a thorough contempt. 
These women were probably fresh from a long 
siege of trials which resulted from doing their 
own work, and were brought to the extremity of 
offering many unwise privileges, and more than 
that, of obeisance to these servants. When 
such people succeed in inducing girls to enter 
their service, they are forced to treat them as 
if they were glass, and might break at any mo- 
ment. They tremble continually for fear they 
will leave ; they scarcely dare have any com- 
pany, and really live in a sort of reign-of-terror 
atmosphere in their own houses.” 

“ ‘ The way of the transgressor is hard,’ said 
the Sprightly Lady, wiping her eyes. 

“ It is, indeed,” said Mrs. Hughes, with a 
smile ; “ and lest I may be forced to walk therein, 
I will bring my remarks to a close before I 
transgress upon your time, as I did at our last 
meeting.” 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 153 


CHAPTER X. 

HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 

1\ /TRS. HUGHES/’ said the Sprightly 
Lady, soon after the Club had as- 
sembled for its ninth meeting, “did you see 
that article the other day asking why shop-girls 
preferred to sew for three dollars a week instead 
of going out to service and earning two and a 
half, with board ? ” 

“Yes; and I also saw a reply to it to-day, 
ostensibly written by a shop-girl.” 

“ What did you think of it all } ” queried Dolly. 

“ I thought there was both sense and non- 
sense in it. It would certainly have a good 
influence over mistresses, to bear constantly in 
mind the fact that their house is the only home 
their servants have as long as they live out. 
This idea, enforced by kindness and justice, 
would, I think, tend to produce a greater degree 
of comfort for the servants in all respects. But 
when it comes to any attempt to pull down the 
wall between the kitchen and the parlor, to 
abolish caste, and put the servant on a par 


154 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


with the family, I am strongly opposed to it ; for, 
as far as I can see, little but evil would result 
to both employers and employees from such 
a course. Servants would imbibe many false 
ideas as to their position, and their needs of 
dress, and so on, — ideas more or less injurious 
to their time, means, and ultimately to their 
characters, — and certainly the family would de- 
generate in manners, if not in morals, from an 
intimate association with those as uncultured 
and ignorant as are the large majority of our 
servants. I confess I have no patience with 
any talk that aims at the abolition of caste ; for 
it is time and strength wasted, or worse than 
wasted, since it puts pernicious ideas into the 
minds of the ignorant. The rank of shop- 
girl, though a degree or two higher than that 
of kitchen-maid, is nevertheless beneath that of 
lady, and — ” 

“ Oh, Mrs. Hughes ! ” exclaimed a Silent 
Member, I have been taught that whoever 
behaves well and possesses a fine character is 
a lady, whether she is found in the parlor of 
her own home, or earning her living at the wash- 
tub. I have been taught to respect true woman- 
hood wherever it appears.” 

“ It is a noble lesson,” said Mrs. Hughes, 
with that gentle courtesy which was one of her 
strongest characteristics. “ I wish we had all 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 1 55 

learned to reverence womanhood and manhood 
wherever found ; to look up to humanity, and to 
feel that on the great questions of life we should 
all be as one family. But there are smaller 
matters, finer, nicer distinctions, certain graces 
of mind and manner, which a form of education, 
to which we give the name of culture, alone 
seems able to inculcate ; and it is when I see 
one who combines such culture with the grand 
traits of true womanhood, that I feel I am privi- 
leged to behold a perfect lady. She would be 
a most extraordinary servant indeed, who could 
enter a parlor graced with such people and 
enjoy their social pleasures. What would be 
delightful to them would be very dull to her, and 
the amusements and conversation which would 
entertain and engage her, would give to ladies 
but small pleasure, if indeed they were not re- 
pelled thereby. It is a difficult matter, this of 
always bearing true womanhood and manhood 
in mind reverently ; this of broadening our 
sympathies, enlarging our humanity, and yet 
never doing that foolish and wicked thing of 
forsaking our high estate, — selling our birth- 
right of culture, of mental superiority, and de- 
scending to the masses, because we wish to 
illustrate a crude theory of equality.” 

“Ah, Mrs. Hughes !” exclaimed the Sprightly 
Lady, “ I always knew you were an aristocrat.” 


56 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ So am I,” said the Frivolous Person. “ Why, 
last week my husband said he wanted to bring 
a young man out to dinner with him. He 
praised him up to the skies, and said he was 
going to make his mark, and all that ; but at the 
last moment I found out that his mother used 
to be my mother’s seamstress, and I told my 
husband that if he invited him he ’d have to 
dine alone with him ; I was n’t going to sit down 
to dinner with any seamstress’s son.” 

I saw Mrs. Hughes’s face struggle to pre- 
serve its equanimity against an almost over- 
whelming feeling of scorn. 

“ I think this must have been the young 
man who dined with us to-day,” she observed 
quietly. 

“ What ! do you entertain such company } ” 
exclaimed the Frivolous Person. 

“ Very rarely ; for it is sadly true that one 
seldom has the privilege of meeting such a 
splendid fellow as this young man.” 

“ But he used to be a tinner ! ” gasped the 
Frivolous Young Person. “I really didn’t 
know that at first, and of course you did n’t 
know it.” 

Oh, yes, I knew that and much more about 
him.” 

The Frivolous Person had nothing further 
to say, but her face expressed the fact that she 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 1 57 

had but a small opinion of Mrs. Hughes, from 
that moment. 

“ Then a man’s occupation makes no difference 
to you. For my part, I confess I have always 
had a weakness for the professions,” sighed the 
Imitation One. 

“ Oh, yes,” replied Mrs. Hughes, I think 
that in the long run we may confidently expect 
to find a certain class of people in a certain 
occupation. But there are striking exceptions to 
this rule, and if we do not wish to lose an oppor- 
tunity, not only for doing right but also for en- 
larging our natures, and improving our minds as 
well as characters, we should keep a watch for 
just such exceptions, and recognize them heartily 
when they appear. But I must not digress ; 
this subject of aristocracy bears upon the ser- 
vant question only in a limited degree.” 

“ I think it bears upon it forcibly, for I find 
that most of these foreigners come over to this 
country with an idea that in America all stand 
on an equality,” said the Imitation Member. 

Yes,” answered Mrs. Hughes, “ and this 
idea is not confined to servants alone. A friend 
of mine who was travelling in Sweden met there 
a lady of high rank, and was questioned by her 
about America. This Swedish lady insisted 
that she would not like to live here. ' Oh, I 
could not live there ! ’ she exclaimed, ‘ for my 


158 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


servants and family would all be on an equality!^ 
and it was almost impossible to make her under- 
stand that ideas of caste obtained, even in our 
new country. I have again and again talked to 
servants on this subject” 

“ What do you say to them ? ” asked Dolly. 

'' Perhaps the easiest answer to that question,” 
said Mrs. Hughes, “would be to tell of a servant 
I once had ; and this story will also illustrate a 
statement I made as to the strength of servant- 
girls’ sense of honor. I engaged this girl, on a 
two weeks’ trial, as nurse. She had been highly 
recommended by her last mistress, the wife of a 
lieutenant, who had, as I afterward learned, 
foolishly indulged her, and only parted with her 
because she was to leave the city and could not 
take her. Bridget was a smart, pleasant girl, — 
Irish on her mother’s side and Hollander on her 
father’s. I saw she would not do. To begin 
with, she came to the front door when she first 
arrived, and although I lived in a small house 
then, my front and side or back doors were as dis- 
tinct as now. She often went up and down the 
front stairs, and she was constantly attempting to 
talk with me with the easy familiarity of an old 
friend. She spoke to and of the children in the 
same way, and when she came into the drawing- 
room at night to take them away to bed, she 
would enter into a conversation with them right 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 1 59 


before the family, arguing about their going, and 
so on. She had sense enough to see that all 
these ways were displeasing to us, but not sense 
enough to change them. At the end of two 
days I told her that I saw she would not do for 
the place, and she told me she would not care to 
stay. She talked very freely with me, and as 
she spoke pleasantly and without impertinence, 
I listened to all she had to say. She told me 
she would not be willing to live in any place 
where she would not be treated as one of the 
family. I then told her of the mistake she and 
many other foreigners made, with regard to this 
country ; told her that ideas of caste were as 
strong here as elsewhere, though, on account of 
the absence of titles, less clearly defined. I told 
her that if she wished to be received on terms 
of equality with a family of education and refine- 
ment, there was a possible course open to her, 
if she possessed great natural ability ; but that 
such a course meant very hard work — the hard 
study necessary for self-education. If she used 
every spare hour to study and improve herself, 
she might hope, in the course of time, to take a 
very different position from that which she then 
occupied ; but unless she was willing to per- 
form the work, she must not expect to reap the 
reward, — in plainer words, as long as she was 
greatly inferior to her employers in education 


i6o 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


and general culture, she must not expect to be 
received as an equal. I told her, furthermore, 
that all did not have to toil so unremittingly as 
she would, in order to obtain these privileges, 
for some were born to them ; that is, refinement 
of nature and manner, and an inclination toward 
education, came to some as a birthright, but 
with this, a certain amount of mental work must 
be performed, or even the possessor of such 
natural advantages failed to hold his place in 
the highest circle. Furthermore, I told her 
that if she felt disinclined to toil in that way, in 
order to obtain such social advantages, it was 
possible for her to earn an honest living, and 
win the respect of her employers, without such 
mental labor. I told her that the pride that 
prevented her from taking her proper position 
in the social scale was false ; true pride she 
should not be without, and I thought she did 
possess much of that. I bade her cling to the 
pride which kept her honest, the pride that 
kept her virtuous, and also to cultivate that 
pride in her work which made her strive toward 
perfection in its performance, — that pride which 
forbade her to take from an employer a dollar 
which she could not feel she had truly earned. 
Such pride would greatly aid her to lead a re- 
spected and happy life ; but the foolish pride 
which made her covet and even insist upon 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. l6l 

social privileges which she was unfitted to re- 
ceive, was unworthy of respect, — of aught, in- 
deed, but scorn. 

"‘I know not what effect these words may 
have had upon her later. Possibly there came 
a time when their truth was made clearer to 
her ; but when I spoke there was no sign that 
she saw any reason to change her views or 
desires. It was decided that we should part, 
and she remarked that at the end of two weeks 
I would doubtless have found somebody to take 
her place ; and to this I assented. That week, 
Friday, I let her go out, and upon her return 
she told me that a lady living next door to her 
former mistress wanted to engage her for the 
same price I was paying, and had but one child, 
instead of two, for her to take charge of ; but 
if she took this place she must go at once, 
as the lady was ill and could not wait. She 
told me that she had promised to go to her 
Monday. I said, ‘You are not free to go, 
Bridget.’ This surprised her ; but I went on : 

‘ Did you not engage yourself to me for two 
weeks ‘Yes ’m, but I did n’t know as I 
promised to stay that long.’ ‘To what did the 
engagement amount, then } If you were free 
to leave me as soon as you found another place, 
then I must have been free to discharge you as 
soon as I found another girl ; and in that case 


I 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


162 

your engagement to stay with me two weeks, 
and mine to keep you two weeks, was mere 
nonsense. The only exception we made to the 
binding of the contract was some very flagrant 
act either on your part or mine. But nothing 
of that sort has occurred, so I am bound to 
keep you till the end of two weeks, and you are 
bound to stay, unless we both agree to part be- 
fore then.’ She replied that all that was some- 
thing she had not thought of, and she considered 
herself free to go and take that place. I said, 
‘ Bridget, there is no law to prevent you from 
walking out of my house to-night, save the law 
of honor. You are bound by your word.’ She 
answered me, as earnestly as I spoke, ‘ Mrs. 
Hughes, I never told a falsehood in my life.’ I 
said that I hoped she never would, but that she 
could not leave me before her time expired, un- 
less I was willing to have her do so, without 
breaking her word. She said it was not very 
pleasant for her to feel that she was bound. I 
told her that every contract was binding, and 
that no business could be carried on without 
contracts ; that whenever a girl went to a place 
there was a verbal contract made, she agreeing 
to do certain work, and the mistress agreeing 
to give certain privileges and pay certain wages. 
No business could be carried on, I told her, if 
people universally broke their contracts. Be- 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 163 

cause many people did so, there was much trou- 
ble in the business world. I also explained to 
her that no contract could bind one side alone, 
and that in olir own particular case I was not free 
to take another girl unless I kept her and contin- 
ued her wages also. For that reason, I said, I 
had not yet begun to look for a girl ; for I did 
not suppose one would be willing to delay com- 
ing to me so long, and I did not wish to be pay- 
ing two for the same work. I saw signs of her 
yielding, but she maintained that she did not 
want to lose a good place, — that she would 
rather lose all her wages from me. I replied, 
‘ Your wages, Bridget, are the least of what you 
would lose if you left me in defiance of your 
promise ; you would lose your character as an 
honorable girl.’ I assured her that I should be 
very sorry to have her forfeit a good place on 
n?y account, and that I would take every pains 
to secure a girl so that she could leave me in 
time to go to this lady, but that in my health 
I did not feel able to be left with but one 
servant. 

“ I applied immediately to two intelligence 
offices, and spoke to a number of my friends 
of my need ; but until the next Wednesday I 
did not succeed in procuring a suitable nurse. 
Bridget had not said she would stay, but in my 
own mind I had little doubt of it, so strong 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


164 

had I always found this sense of honor and 
justice in the minds of respectable servants. 
When I came to settle with her on the following 
Wednesday, I told her that her course had won 
my respect, and that I hoped she would always 
so live as to compel the respect of all who dealt 
with her. I paid her up to the time she left, 
although she said I need only pay her for one 
week. I told her also that if she had lost that 
place and wished to stay with me till the end of 
the two weeks, I was bound to keep her and pay 
her the two weeks’ wages, and that I would do 
so cheerfully. But she thought she might pos- 
sibly be able to get that place, or if not, she 
could take another. She told me she wanted to 
thank me for the lesson I had taught her ; that 
I had impressed her with the feeling that I 
would treat her with the strictest kindness and 
justice ; and more than that, I had led her to 
see a meaning in an engagement which she had 
never thought of before.” 

“ I should think such a servant as that could 
instruct many mistresses in the code of honor,” 
said a Silent Member. “ I have known ladies 
who needed a girl for a few weeks only, during 
the vacation of the regular servant or something 
of that kind, to engage one without telling her 
that the place was only temporary.” 

“ Yes, I have known of that and other dis- 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 165 

honorable actions on the part of mistresses ; 
and when I contrast these things with the con- 
duct of many servants I have had, I feel as if 
honor had fled to the basement.” 

“ Why, really, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Imita- 
tion Millionnaire, “ I think you are rather se- 
vere ; for my part, I cannot see that a mistress 
is bound to specify the length of time when she 
engages a servant.” 

“ No, she can hardly do so,” returned Mrs. 
Hughes, “for the term of engagement must be 
regulated by many unforeseen circumstances. 
But a lady who deliberately withholds anything 
v/hich she has reason to believe would cause the 
girl to refuse the place, is acting dishonorably. 
Few girls who are worth having would be will- 
ing to undertake to learn the duties of a new 
situation, to say nothing of the trouble and 
expense of moving their baggage, and the pos- 
sible loss of a good permanent place, just for 
a few weeks’ time.” 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Sprightly Lady, 
with an unusually serious face, “ a mistress 
may not know whether or not her place will 
be permanent. If her regular servant has 
gone off on a vacation, she can’t be sure she ’ll 
return.” 

“ That is true ; but if she is wishing her to 
return, and hoping that she will, she does very 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


I66 

wrong to engage a girl without telling her of 
the circumstances.” 

'‘I guess she wouldn’t get any girl if she 
did,” said the Practical Person. 

“And that ought, in itself, to be sufficient to 
prove the dishonesty of withholding the informa- 
tion. When we gain any advantage by keeping 
back facts that bear upon it closely, — facts which 
would, if known, prevent the transaction from 
being made, — we are acting dishonorably. We 
might as well withhold the fact of a doubtful title 
on a piece of land we were trying to sell, on the 
ground that we could not otherwise get rid of it, 
and then expect to be considered honest, as to 
withhold from a servant we are trying to engage 
the fact that the place she supposes may be com- 
paratively permanent is in all probability tem- 
porary. Let us turn the tables, and see how 
the matter will look, for we are all so selfish that 
we see justice and right more clearly when we 
are the claimants. Suppose we engage a girl 
in good faith, and after a few weeks, just as we 
have accustomed her to her duties, and are be- 
ginning to rest from our labors, we are told that 
she is going back to her old place ; that the 
family have been out of town, and she had only 
come to us so as to be earning something during 
their absence. Would we not be indignant with 
her } And would we not immediately exclaim. 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 167 

‘ Why did n’t you tell me this ? You knew I 
would never have engaged you for a few weeks!’ 
I have no doubt that the very ladies who them- 
selves are capable of such conduct would be 
quite outraged if thus treated, and would inveigh 
against these ‘lying domestics,’ — for certainly 
a lie acted equals a lie spoken, and so they 
would consider.” 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes, do you think a lady ought 
to do without help while her servant takes a 
vacation 1 ” asked a Silent Member. 

“ Certainly, if she cannot honestly obtain 
help ; but I think that she can. I have for years 
been in the habit of giving my servants vaca- 
tions, and I have had but little trouble in obtain- 
ing substitutes. They generally see to this, and 
sometimes a friend, not ordinarily living out, 
takes the place ; and sometimes it is a girl just 
arrived in the city. They almost always con- 
trive to find some one, if need be, who is willing 
to come for a few weeks.” 

“ To recur to the shop-girls again, Mrs. 
Hughes,” said Dolly, “I think that they might 
find places as congenial to their sense of dig- 
nity as the shop, and better for their health and 
purse. There are a large number of families, 
in the middle class, whose means would not allow 
them to pay high wages to servants. I should 
think that in such houses bright shop-girls might 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


1 68 

find real homes, where by joining with the mis- 
tress in doing the work they could receive as 
much as two dollars and a half a week, and at 
the same time enjoy the privileges of the mem- 
bers of the family.” 

“ Undoubtedly such arrangements are often 
made, and it is a pity they are not still more 
common, for they would greatly lighten the cares 
of housekeepers, and provide healthful occupa- 
tion, small wages, and pleasant homes for a large 
class of working-girls. In the article I men- 
tioned reading this morning, the writer speaks 
as if almost all the shop-girls in Chicago lived 
at their own homes, where they had no board to 
pay, and where they enjoyed all the comforts 
and privileges of petted members of a small 
but comfortable household. The picture was 
quite alluring, but I doubt its fidelity. It is pos- 
sible, barely possible, that Chicago is exception- 
able in this respect ; but in other cities we too 
often hear a cry of overworked and underpaid 
shop-girls, who are driven to crime for mere sup- 
port, and some of us have learned, in our chari- 
table work, how much truth there is in this 
terrible cry. It is to such girls that the doors 
of families of moderate means and medium po- 
sition could open and admit them to a happy 
refuge. And my earnest advice to girls who 
are not able to earn a respectable support in 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS. 169 

stores, and also to those who find the confine- 
ment injurious to health, is to learn house- 
work, and make themselves invaluable in the 
family of some good woman who needs, just 
such assistance.” 

“There’s another wrong thing ladies do,” 
said the Sprightly Lady, “ and while we are ar- 
raigning the poor things, we might just as well 
mention everything. They often engage two or 
three servants for the same place, thinking that 
if the first fails to keep her engagement, the 
next may come.” 

“ Yes,” replied Mrs. Hughes ; “I once knew 
a woman who considered herself a Christian 
lady, who did such a thing. She said that the 
unreliability of the servants had driven her to 
it, and that she was obliged to protect herself. I 
confess I am unable to understand the peculiar 
construction of the intellect of any such woman ; 
and as for her conscience, it — ” 

“ Must be made of old shoe-leather,” said the 
Sprightly Lady. 

“ Mrs. Hughes, what do you think of a 
lady searching a servant’s trunk } ” asked 
Dolly. 

“ Let me ask a question,” was Mrs. Hughes’s 
answer. “ What do you think of a servant 
searching a lady’s trunk ? ” 

“Fortunately,” observed the Millionnaire, with 


I/O 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


a satisfied smile, “we are not called upon to con- 
sider such a monstrosity.” 

“I think you are mistaken,” said Mrs. Hughes, 
in those chillingly polite tones that made me 
look about me for my spring overcoat. “ I once 
knew of a servant doing just such a thing. 
She was dismissed, and on packing her trunk 
she missed a nightgown, and later one of the 
family found her looking through her mistress’s 
closets and bureau-drawers for it.” 

“ What an outrage ! ” murmured the Imita- 
tion Millionnaire. 

“ So the family thought, though there was no 
pretence about the girl’s loss ; she had really 
missed the gown, for several weeks later the 
next servant found it somewhere in the room. 
Her mistress loudly condemned her impudence ; 
and yet that very woman had again and again 
searched the trunks and drawers of her servants 
when they were out.” 

“ Oh, that ’s quite a different thing! ” said the 
Millionnaire. 

“ Yes ; but different only as regards the per- 
sons who do it,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ The 
two acts are one in their injustice and wrong. 
The trunk of a servant and her personal ward- 
robe are as strictly private property as any- 
thing her mistress can possess, and to intrude 
upon her privacy without her knowledge or 


HONOR ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS, i; I 

permission is an outrage against justice and 
right.” 

“ Pray, Mrs. Hughes, what is a lady to do if 
she misses articles and suspects her servants ? ” 
asked the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ As far as I am concerned, I should be vei y 
slow to suspect a servant. Her character is h(;r 
all, and I should feel very tenderly toward it. I 
have several times known articles in my house 
to be missing for a long time, — once it was 
almost a year, and I had made such search that 
I could have taken an oath in court that they 
were not upon the premises, — and yet, after a)l, 
they turned up in some most unexpected plac5. 
Twice, the circumstantial evidence was vei y 
strong against some servant I had at the timif. 
But when the articles were found, long after I 
had ceased to look for them, I assure you I wvb 
more than thankful that never, by word or look, 
had I intimated to these servants a suspicion of 
their honesty. One should have, I think, many 
and excellent proofs before impeaching the char- 
acter of a servant. But if a lady has reasonable 
cause to believe a girl dishonest, and thinks she 
would be likely to find stolen goods about her, 
then she should send for the proper officer to 
make a search. If I were the lady, I should still 
attempt to spare and save the girl. I should 
not let the officer see her until I had talked with 


172 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


her. I should tell her he had come, and that if 
she was unwilling to let me make the search, I 
should call him to do it. In most cases the girl 
would be terrified at the thought of an officer’s 
presence, and would greatly prefer to have her 
mistress make the search. If I found nothing 
suspicious, I should dismiss the man without 
letting him see the girl. I think I should do 
that anyhow, unless the case was a very aggra- 
vated one ; for the very pity I showed in this 
respect, and my desire to shield her from shame, 
might help me to save her.” 

“ What else that ’s naughty do mistresses 
do ” asked the Sprightly Lady. “ Give it to 
’em ! give it to ’em ! I thirst for a recital of 
iniquities.” 

“ I am afraid I cannot gratify you further to- 
day ; not for lack of material, but because I am 
just now occupied with my own sin of having 
^detained you all again.” 

With this the meeting adjourned, and I sought 
Dolly at once to question her, assuring her that 
I would shut her up in the back parlor if I learned 
that she had ever done any of those very repre- 
hensible things I had heard discussed. 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 1 73 

CHAPTER XL 

BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 

PON the next assemblage of the Club, Mrs. 



Hughes’s face wore an expressive smile, 
the meaning of which she soon explained. 

“ I have been wondering this morning,” she 
said, ‘Hf we do not want our servants to be 
perfect.” 

Not I ! ” exclaimed the Sprightly Lady. “ I 
don’t want anybody in the kitchen so much 
better than poor Billy and 1.” 

“ No,” said the Practical Person, more quietly, 

I don’t think we want them to be perfect.” 

Then the smile on Mrs. Hughes’s face broad- 
ened, and became still more expressive. 

“ It would be interesting, then,” she said, “ to 
decide upon the faults we prefer.” 

This observation caused a deep silence to 
fall upon the unusually animated Club ; and 
as the silence seemed likely to remain other- 
wise unbroken, Mrs. Hughes continued her 
remarks. 

Let us choose uncleanliness,” she said. 


1/4 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


This brought down upon the speaker a storm 
of dissent. 

By no means ! ” exclaimed the Practical Per- 
son, when the chorus was stilled. “ That is about 
the worst fault a servant can have. One can do 
nothing with a dirty girl.” 

“Well, then, let it be sloth,” suggested Mrs. 
Hughes. 

But no, that would not do; she would never 
accomplish her work. Better an ugly temper, a 
lack of system, a disposition to run out too much. 
Mrs. Hughes was accommodating, for when 
any particular fault would not do she immedi- 
ately had another to offer ; but one by one they 
were rejected, until even her long list was at an 
end. Then it was that the smile I had first 
noted assumed its broadest and most meaning 
aspect. 

“ Ladies,” she said, “ in future let us always 
be careful to choose perfect maids.” 

The Practical Person laughed. 

“ I will confess now,” she said, “ that I would 
like to, though at first I did n’t think so. But 
I ’ve no doubt that all the servants I ever get 
will have plenty of faults, and I shall not have 
much to do in choosing them.” 

“Now, that is just where I hope you will 
permit me to differ from you,” exclaimed 
Mrs. Hughes, with more animation than usual. 


BI^ALVS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 


175 


‘‘ Some one was once asking me about the choice 
of a servant, and I spoke of some virtues for 
which I always looked. Now, I may add that 
I always deliberately make a choice of faults. 
I, too, would like perfect servants ; but — ” 

“ They don’t grow,” interrupted the Sprightly 
Lady. 

“ No,” continued Mrs. Hughes ; and since 
they must have faults, I want to have some 
choice in these. For instance, I have found 
that a quick, energetic, systematic girl may 
make an excellent kitchen servant with proper 
management, even though she have a hot tem- 
per ; but it is almost impossible for her to 
become a good nurse. The work of a nurse 
is necessarily subject to manifold interruptions 
and upheavals, and requires endless patience. 
Although a girl in this position is the better 
for some system, yet she cannot arrange her 
work as she could in the kitchen ; and if she 
tries to do this, and go through it quickly and 
undeviatingly, she is sure to have her patience 
overwhelmed sooner or later.” 

“ I have learned that,” said Dolly. “ I once 
had a cook who rarely ever had a meal on time. 
She was slow and unsystematic; but she was 
so faithful, respectable, and sensible, that I 
hated to give her up. I tried every way for 
four months, — pushing and arranging, — but 


176 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


nothing would do. At last I hit upon a happy 
thought. I persuaded her to go into my nur- 
sery ; and she is there to-day, — one of the 
best nurses I ever had. She is never out of 
patience ; and by slowly but steadily pursuing 
her way she accomplishes a great deal of sew- 
ing, besides caring faithfully for the children. 
She is more under my eye in the nursery, and 
by some management she has learned to be as 
systematic as her work will permit ; about the 
children’s hours of feeding, and so forth, she is 
very regular, and she has opportunity to rest 
her nature for this unnatural effort between 
times.” 

My own experience causes me heartily to 
endorse the lesson taught by this instance,” 
said Mrs. Hughes. “ There are, of course, 
some faults which we would never choose and 
should never tolerate ; but it is undoubtedly 
true that a trait of character which is a fault 
in one position becomes a virtue in another. 
Aside from this very delightful and unman- 
ageable class of failings, there is another class 
which may at least be modified by their situ- 
ation, — that is to say, some faults are more 
bearable, or less annoying, in one situation than 
in another ; and if we think of all this when 
we are selecting a servant, we shall be more 
likely to find we have the right woman in the 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 1 7 / 

right place than if we are careless of such 
matters.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes, don’t you think that most of 
us would have to buy an extra supply of brains 
before we could do all you suggest } ” asked the 
Sprightly Person. 

I have always tried to prove to unbelievers 
that housekeeping is brain-work, if properly 
conducted. Indeed, it is quite a scientific 
occupation.” 

“ Please, ma’am, what is to become of those of 
us whose brains were omitted in our general 
make-up ? ” said the Sprightly Lady, drawing 
down her face. 

“ I think j/ou have no need to ask that ques- 
tion,” Mrs. Hughes replied, with a laugh. It 
was quite evident that she agreed with me in 
an admiration for the Sprightly Person. “ There 
are, however, many women, as there are many 
men, unable to do justice to any occupation 
calling for much intellect ; and if these people 
keep house they will have to do their best, but 
they can never reach the results that will reward 
the more intellectual worker. But it is my be- 
lief that the large majority of women could do 
far better in this work than they are now doing, 
and consequently enjoy far greater advantages. 
Take this servant question, which, in most fam- 
ilies lies at the very root of success or failure in 
12 


178 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


housekeeping. Let a woman use her brains, and 
if they are small cultivate them. Let her choose 
and adapt wisely, and the battle is half won.” 

“ I think system has much to do with good 
housekeeping,” said the Practical Person. 

“ It undoubtedly has. There are many people 
to-day who have the reputation of being devoted 
housewives and mothers, — women who are 
thought to have an immense amount of work on 
hand, and who are pitied for their severe labors 
and admired for their self-sacrifices, — who are 
very little more than unsystematic and ignorant 
persons.” 

“That sounds rather severe, Mrs. Hughes,” 
said a Silent Member ; and I made a mental 
note to the effect that this rather tight shoe 
was pinching the lady. 

“ It does, indeed,” Mrs. Hughes replied ; “ but 
when you see one woman labor hard and spread 
over an entire day work that another accom- 
plishes without much effort in a few hours, 
what else can you think } ” 

“ You can scarcely compare the housework of 
any two women,” said the Practical Person. 

“ Not exactly, to be sure ; but you can do so 
to a certain extent. I know a lady who has 
seven children. She is an attentive wife and 
mother, and engages in many social pleasures 
in addition to keeping a house, and yet she finds 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 


79 


much more time for reading than another lady 
whom I also know, who has but one child and 
boards.” 

“ I wish I knew how to systematize my work,” 
sighed a Silent Lady. 

“ One has to study to learn that,” said Mrs. 
Hughes. “ One secret is, I think, in the matter 
of choice. I have read that conversation is 
merely a fine selection, and system is largely 
composed of the same ' element. One cannot 
attend to everything. Housework should, like 
the business in a store, be divided into depart- 
ments, and servants should be trained and re- 
quired to take charge of certain of these, and 
be held responsible for their proper care.” 

“ Children are what require the most time,” 
said the Practical Person. 

Yes, and very properly ; but children receive 
a great deal of unnecessary care, and lack much 
that is necessary. If we examined into the 
matter, I think we should find that the majority 
of mothers spend more time upon the clothing 
of their children than upon their minds.” 

*'But our children must be clothed,” urged 
the Practical Person. 

Yes,” said the Sprightly Lady, “ unless we 
remove to that pleasant clime in which I once 
read of a planter’s small son who was decked 
for company in a straw hat and a cane.” 


l 80 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

“Yes, they must be clothed,” said Mrs. Hughes. 
“ But we have all learned that there are clothes 
and clothes. It was always my effort, in making 
my children’s garments, to learn of the easiest 
possible styles that would be pretty ; for I do not 
believe in mortifying a little one’s flesh and 
spirit by homely clothing. Then I taught my 
children to be very careful of what they wore, 
and in this way to preserve their clothes a long 
time. That is a useful lesson for the character 
of a child, boy or girl, as well as useful for one’s 
time.” 

“ But I don’t think you can expect children to 
sit still continually,” said a Silent Member. 

“ Why, no ; I am sure mine did not, but for 
their rough-and-tumble play they had very strong, 
plainly-made clothes, and these they changed for 
something prettier later in the day, when their 
most boisterous play was ended. Children can 
run about a great deal, be very lively, and have 
a good time, without injuring nice clothes. Of 
course, when it comes to climbing fences and 
trees and wrestling, they ought to wear some- 
thing pretty strong.” 

^^That, fortunately, does not apply to little 
girls,” sighed the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“It applied to my little girls,” said Mrs. 
Hughes. “ They were always allowed and en- 
couraged to engage in active sports.” 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. l8l 

“ Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “ I wish you would 
please give us an outline of your day.” 

” Perhaps I had better give you an outline of 
my day a few years back, for I am a little farther 
along in my housekeeping experiences than most 
of you, and as a woman’s children grow older 
she has to alter her plans. When I had but 
one baby I had a great deal of time. Our 
means then would not admit of much com- 
pany. We entertained often, but not formally ; 
our friends dropped in occasionally and were 
made at home. I had a nurse whom I trained 
carefully ; and excepting the time required to 
superintend my housework, I had almost the 
entire day to myself, for Mr. Hughes did not 
come home to luncheon. I taught my nurse 
needlework, and she did all the sewing of the 
family, and all except the finest mending, which 
I did evenings while talking with my husband 
or listening as he read aloud. I had my own 
particular little room in which I painted ; and 
then, as the smell of the paint is apt to be some- 
what injurious, I studied and read in another 
room ; but I was alone when I worked, and the 
servants did not disturb me unnecessarily.” 

“ They must have had a good time, all alone 
through the day,” said the Practical Person. 

“ They were not alone very long at a time,” 
replied Mrs. Hughes, quietly. ‘‘ My nurse sat in 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


182 

the nursery, and was near at hand, and every half- 
hour or so I used to step in there to see if all was 
well, and have a few minutes’ romp with my baby.^ 
Then I used to take occasional excursions 
through my little house, during the day, and as 
the servants never knew when I was coming, 
they had little chance to deceive me, even if they 
had been so inclined ; but I never kept servants 
who would wilfully disobey or deceive me.” 

“ That might work very well if the children 
were not sickly,” said the Practical Person. 

“ You can prevent children from being sickly,” 
said Dolly. 

“Certainly,” said Mrs. Hughes, “and should 
do so. Parents have no right to bring a sickly 
child into the world ; and when a child is born 
healthy, he will continue so most of the time if 
he is properly fed and cared for. But all that 
belongs more strictly to the subject of chil- 
dren, and we must not encroach upon it in this 
Club. I only diverged a moment, to explain 
that my children were seldom away from my 
care for an hour, whether indoors or out. When 
they took their exercise, I had them kept near at 
hand, unless I sent the nurse off on an errand 
with them. I always knew where they were. 
When I had more than one child, and the oldest 
was between two and three, I began spending 
more time with them. Then my plan of work 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING, 1 83 

was something like this : I rose at half-past six 
in winter, and six in summer. Until half-past 
nine I saw to my household, looking over the 
stores, giving orders and directions for any ex- 
tra duties, attending to my accounts, and in gen- 
eral running over my entire housework for the 
day. I am naturally slow, I think, but I forced 
myself to learn celerity, and I managed to de- 
spatch a great deal in that time. I gave my 
whole attention to it, and let nothing unneces- 
sary distract me. At half-past nine I retired to 
my room and had an hour and a half of intellect- 
ual \^ork. Then from eleven until one I was with 
my children, most of the time outdoors. At that 
period I often did my marketing. I never went 
far for this, for I did not think the pennies saved 
atoned for the time lost ; and time has always 
been of great value in my eyes. When I was 
with my children I joined in their games, and 
talked to them as improvingly and interestingly 
as my own information would permit me to do. 
And I may here remark that I was led to study 
many of the natural sciences that I might have 
something of account to tell my children when 
we were together. At one o’clock they were 
put to bed for a two-hours’ nap, and I lay down 
for an hour ; then I had three hours to my- 
self before I again took them. Sometimes the 
older one would have a book, and sit quietly 


1 84 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


with me for a while in the afternoon. At six 
we dined.” 

“ Well,” said the Sprightly Lady with a great 
sigh, “ I am so thankful you have at last seated 
yourself to eat something ! You must be almost 
starved ! ” 

“ Oh, no,” said Mrs. Hughes, laughing. “ I 
ate before six, but really our dinner was the only 
meal of the day that occupied much time. We 
have always dressed for dinner, and taken it 
very leisurely. Generally we finished it by 
drinking our coffee in the library. We fre- 
quently had a friend to dinner.” 

This,” said the Millionnaire, “ is the first men- 
tion of a social nature we have heard. Did you 
never make or receive calls } ” 

“ Very seldom ; I lost but little time or strength 
for the visiting around in which so many women 
indulge. Most of our evenings were devoted to 
social pleasures, but neither my husband nor my- 
self had much daylight to spare. I was talking 
awhile ago with a friend whose mind is decid- 
edly intellectual, albeit the illness of her husband 
and herself has prevented her, until lately, from 
indulging her tastes. Just now there is nothing 
of that kind to claim her time, and as she has 
no children, and is living for the present with a 
married sister, she ought to be able to command 
much leisure. But unhappily the sister has two 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 185 

children, who have been trained indeed, but 
trained to require most of the time of those 
around them ; and, still more unfortunately, she 
has a neighbor, who, as she told me, was in the 
habit of running in almost daily and sitting for 
two or three hours.” 

“ Settings I should call that ! ” said the 
Sprightly Lady. 

Even Mrs. Hughes’s elegance could not re- 
strain her smile. 

“ Yes,” she replied, ‘‘it has occurred to me at 
times, that for some women to say they were 
going in to set with a neighbor was not, after all, 
as ungrammatical as would at first appear. I am 
sure I cannot tell why women of a higher class 
and higher aims permit anything of the kind.” 

“ Oh, well, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical 
Person, “ sometimes one’s neighbors are kindly 
people, who like to run in and out freely, and 
one does not want to be disagreeable to them.” 

“ It is a peculiar and unfortunate feature of 
social life in villages, towns, and even new or 
small cities, I believe, but I see no reason for en- 
couraging it. I believe in kindness to everybody ; 
but I think kindness has nothing to do with this 
matter, for I know of no good gained on either 
side by these gossiping hours, and certainly there 
is a loss of much time that should be valuable to 
both. If a neighbor were in any trouble and I 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


1 86 

could be of help, I would go, by all means, and 
stay as long as my home duties would possibly 
permit. Ever since I began my housekeeping 
in a tiny cottage, I have lived on pleasant terms 
with my neighbors, but we have never run back 
and forth. I think that possibly I may have 
been called odd by them.” 

“ ‘ A crank ’ is the favorite term,” suggested 
Dolly. 

Well, even ' crank’ would not have frightened 
me ; but as I never gossiped with any one, I 
failed to learn what my neighbors thought of 
me, and there was never anything unpleasant 
in their greetings when I met them.” 

“But, Mrs. Hughes, everybody knew that you 
were an artist, and so they excused you from 
making calls,” said a Silent Member. 

“They would have had to excuse me even if 
I had no such occupation, for long ago I became 
convinced that the time spent in making and 
receiving calls was almost all wasted. In one 
of his essays, Emerson says that no call ought 
to exceed ten minutes except by special invita- 
tion ; I would go a step farther, and abolish 
most of the calls now made in what is consid- 
ered society. Who ever saw a lady who did 
not count the paying of calls a disagreeable 
duty, and who did not often hope the acquaint- 
ances she was apparently striving to meet would 


BRAINS IN HOUSEKEEPING. 1 87 


be away from home ? Such a thing is hollow, 
false, and it ought to be abolished. Life is too 
short, too real, for such sham, and time too 
precious for such waste.” 

“ I fear you are a social fiend, Mrs. Hughes ; 
this strikes me as a new and alarming phase 
of socialism. I shall look out for a bomb under 
my chair the next time I go to your house,” 
said the Sprightly One, holding up her hands 
in mock horror. 

“ I really think, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Imi- 
tation Millionnaire, with a fashionable air of 
superiority, “that if these ideas were carried 
out they would abolish society.” 

“Possibly so,” said Mrs. Hughes, “though I 
am not sure they are forcible enough to ac- 
coniplish quite so much good. This is no place 
to enter into a prolonged discussion of social 
subjects, and I have already digressed. I was 
trying, however, to explain why I always found 
time for my own education and also that of my 
children, although I was a housekeeper. I saved 
not only time, but also money, by abstaining 
from society so called, and I put the extra money 
on my service, and it has repaid me tenfold.” 

“ Well, Owen Meredith says one may live 
without love, so he has something to eat ; but 
he expresses it a trifle differently, I believe,” 
said the Sprightly One. 


r88 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ Ah ! but I did not live without love, even 
of a social kind,” said Mrs. Hughes. “ I had a 
few intimate lady friends with whom I some- 
times walked when I took my children out, and 
then we rarely sat down to dinner alone ; indeed, 
the stroke of six might be said to have sounded 
the tocsin for social delights. Some evenings 
Mr. Hughes and I kept for ourselves, and we 
read, studied, played, and talked together at 
home, or went out, as we felt inclined ; but gen- 
erally, with the exception of an hour I have al- 
ways taken for reading after dinner, we spent 
the entire evening socially ; and most delightful 
has this mode of life proved. Music, reading 
aloud, and conversation have made the hours 
all too short. One evening a week, as you know, 
we have taken for our reception-night, and a 
great many of our friends always come in then.” 

“But when do you return all those calls?” 
asked the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ Never ! ” said the Sprightly Lady. “ She 
has n’t been to my house in a year.” 

“ No, I could never look upon a call as a debt 
to be paid. We call upon all our friends once 
in a while, but we cannot go to each house very 
often, as we have quite a large circle. But I 
never hesitate about going to a friend’s because 
I happen to remember that I have been there 
several times since she came to see me. If I 


BRA IAS IjV housekeeping. 189 

have the time and the wish, I go, without casting 
up accounts with her first. A large number of 
our friends are, and always have been, young 
ladies and gentlemen, and they keep no calling 
accounts with us.” 

“ I should think there would be danger, how- 
ever, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Imitation Million- 
naire, gravely, “that such a very independent 
course would cut you off from all invitations 
from the better, more fashionable class.” 

“It does from the fashionable, but not from 
the better class. Mr. Hughes and I rarely have 
an invitation to a large party or reception, and 
still more rarely go. But little dinners of six, 
eight, and ten people, invited to meet some in- 
teresting artist, actor, or lecturer, we often at- 
tend, and also give, now that our means permit 
us to do so. Indeed, we began giving little din- 
ners of this kind years ago, when we were far 
from wealthy.” 

The Imitation Millionnaire bit her lip and said 
nothing ; she knew she would be greatly flat- 
tered to be invited to some of the many dinners 
Mrs. Hughes had attended and given. 

“ Another form of social entertainment in 
which we have often indulged is a Musicale, 
and still another, a Reading. At both of these 
we often have a little dance, and always a 
charming time. But I feel that I must crave 


190 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

pardon again, for I have afflicted you with a 
long digression.” 

“ We brought it on ourselves, Mrs. Hughes,” 
said the Sprightly Lady, “and I think we can 
very comfortably endure the affliction. For my 
part, I want more; I wish you would tell us 
what you think of George Eliot’s story, ‘ The 
Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton.’ ” 

“ I can easily understand why you ask,” said 
Mrs. Hughes, with a laugh, “ but we must not 
continue this theme longer. At our next meet- 
ing, if the ladies are interested in hearing it, I 
will very willingly give you my opinion of that 
story.” 


A MOTHER'S RIGHTS AND DUTIES. IQI 


CHAPTER XII. 

A mother’s rights and duties. 

OW, Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, upon the 



^ next assemblage of the Club, “let us 
hear about the sad Barton.” 

The rest of the ladies joined in this request, 
and one of the Silent Members said, — 

“ I am especially interested in this, for I can’t 
imagine how that story can have any bearing on 
our last topic of discussion.” 

“ I can,” said the Sprightly Lady. “ Come, 
Mrs. Hughes, take up Millie Barton ; I know 
she ’ll get a good scoring.” 

“ The bearing is simply this : Millie Barton 
has, I believe, by the great majority of her 
readers, been held up to admiration as a model 
wife and mother, — a very beautiful type of 
womanhood. I used to draw down such indig- 
nation on my head, in my younger days, by 
dissenting from this view, that I generally kept 
silent, unless the subject was forced upon me.” 

“You don’t mean to say you don’t admire 
Millie Barton ? ” gasped a Silent Member. 


192 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“I am afraid I do mean that,” said Mrs. 
Hughes, gently. “ I may seem unappreciative ; 
but in my mind I find but little admiration for 
Millie Barton, and but little pity for Amos 
Barton. The story is beautiful, as far as word- 
ing and life-painting are concerned. As types, 
the characters are excellently drawn ; but as 
objects of admiration and pity, I think they 
fail. You remember that the story opens with 
a picture of Millie Barton walking the floor with 
her baby, and glancing wistfully at a large pile 
of stockings which must be mended ere she 
retires. Now that sounds devoted and pathetic ; 
but if we shed the light of common-sense and 
intellect upon it, I think the picture fades. It 
has always seemed to me that any woman who 
was found walking the floor with a healthy year- 
old baby at ten o’clock at night was simply a 
bad manager. My children were never walked 
to sleep, unless suffering from ear-ache or some 
other pain, which we took all possible means to 
soothe. Long before ten o’clock a baby should 
be asleep ; and it will be, without trouble, if 
its mother shows any judgment and common- 
sense.” 

‘‘ But surely Millie Barton had great need to 
overwork, with her poverty and large family,” 
said a Silent Member, whose face was seamed 
with cares. 


A MOTHER'S RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 193 

“Yes/' said Mrs. Hughes; “and if the large 
family were necessary we would pity her, and 
commend her for her patient cheerfulness. 
Long ago, when I was very young and inex- 
perienced, I read that story ; but although I 
was deeply affected then by its simple pathos, 
I yet felt that in some way it was keyed upon 
a false note. Some years later I re-read it very 
carefully, and then I saw more clearly than I 
had before been able to see, wherein the falsity 
lay. The hero is so unheroic, that he discovers 
scarcely a single commendable trait. Pitiably 
narrow and ignorant in his religious life ; crimi- 
nally ignorant in his domestic life ; a man whose 
conceit and selfishness prevented him from see- 
ing that his wife was dying by inches ; a creature 
decidedly of the earth, too ignorant to know it 
was a sin to bring into the world human beings 
for whom he and his wife had not the means 
and strength to provide, — that man is faith- 
fully pictured for us, but he is not held up to 
contempt ; for we are constrained to feel that 
the author, in her heart, not only pities him but 
even cherishes toward him a tender feeling.” 

“Well, whatever George Eliot may think of 
Mr. Amos, she evidently holds Mrs. Amos up 
as a model/’ said the Sprightly One. 

“ Yes, she is represented as an ideal of lovely 
womanhood. But I confess she seems to me 

13 


194 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


but little more than a beautiful, sweet-tempered 
animal. She displays very little intellect ; her 
love is of the unreasoning kind. She evidently 
has no knowledge of her own rights, and knows 
nothing of the right of a child not to be born 
unless the parents can furnish means of proper 
provision. She even slights the rights of her 
maid, for the first picture describes the over- 
worked servant, who had been ironing all day, 
as taking the baby at ten o’clock at night to put 
him to sleep, because, perchance, his presence 
in the sitting-room may be an annoyance to 
his father. Such things are wrong ; and it is 
largely in order to enable us to prevent them 
that we are given an intelligence so superior to 
that with which the brutes are endowed. By 
her injudicious indulgence of that year-old baby, 
Millie Barton wronged him, her maid, herself, 
and her unborn child. Take another point ; 
the woman who could, after all the suffering she 
had undergone at the hands of his ignorance 
and selfishness, pronounce Amos Barton a good 
husband, was herself sadly lacking in those 
higher intellectual traits and in that spiritual 
insight which should distinguish the human 
from the merely animal.” 

“But don’t you suppose, Mrs. Hughes, that 
this was a faithful picture of those times ? ” 
asked a Silent Member. 


A MOTHER'S RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 195 


"‘Yes, and, alas! of these times also, in many 
households. I don’t doubt that George Eliot in 
this, and some other instances, wrote according 
to her day and her nation ; but a great writer 
should be far ahead of her day, and her nation 
too, for that matter, if need be. A writer should 
be a leader, and no leader should tarry in the 
present, but should dip into the future. Dick- 
ens presents the grossest wrongs in his works, 
but he does not label them rights. He paints 
them in such plain colors, that even one accus- 
tomed to a narrow sphere of thought and life 
cannot mistake his meaning, at least. I re- 
cently read, in the London ‘ Spectator,’ an ex- 
cellent remark. The writer said that the chief 
error of the tale he was reviewing consisted 
in its presentation of useless and purposeless 
self-sacrifice as something noble, heroic, and 
admirable. ■ That brought to my mind this 
story of George Eliot. Surely there are 
enough opportunities in life for the display of 
real womanhood, without dragging in those 
occasions which should only rouse a noble in- 
dignation and refusal, and representing their 
endurance as womanly ! Surely there are 
enough opportunities for true motherhood, with- 
out presenting under that head those that 
merely show that, like an affectionate animal, 
the woman loves without being able to see 


96 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


what is for the best good of her child. Real 
motherhood should always excite our strongest 
admiration ; but we should be able to tell the 
fictitious from the true, the injudicious from the 
wise, and to detect sentimentality, even when 
it is labelled sentiment. Natural history tells 
of a gall-insect that sacrifices its own life in 
order to preserve the lives of its young. Im- 
mediately after laying its eggs it covers them 
with its body, and pins the edges of the latter 
to the ground all around, in such a manner as 
to protect the eggs but to cause its own death. 
This certainly is the highest type of motherly 
devotion in an insect, but in the human mother 
we look for something more. Her life should 
be of greatest value to her children, and should 
be preserved for their sake if not for her own. 
But Millie Barton, like that insect, so pinned her 
life down about her household, and so drained 
her vital powers, that her lamp of existence 
went out, and her little ones were left to be an 
unnatural burden upon their young sister, who 
herself needed the care and training of the 
mother whose life had been so needlessly and 
wrongly sacrificed.” 

“ Well, Mrs. Hughes,” said the member with 
the very careworn face, “ it may be easy to 
convince us, but I think you would have to 
make men over.” 


A MOTHER'S RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 197 


“ Not all of them : there are some truly manly 
men, even now ; but if that were necessary, it 
is no impossible task. Indeed, any woman who 
has a son whom she is not making over, as you 
call it, is falling far short of true motherhood, 
and is doing the greatest wrong to some future 
woman. Another sentence, which I read in the 
book reviews of the same paper, is worthy of 
most serious attention. It occurs in an excel- 
lent article on a book called, ‘ The Problems of 
a Great City.’ Speaking of the problem which 
arises from the fact that the criminal and idle 
will have children, the writer says : ‘ We have 
first to make the comfortable classes understand 
morality in this respect. Until we can make 
the healthy and impecunious curate, whose 
death would leave a wife and six children penni- 
less, feel true shame at his position, it is useless 
to expect the criminal and idle classes to under- 
stand and act upon the law of population.’ The 
suggestions embodied in this sentence are not 
only suitable for grave consideration, but they 
demand it, and it is wrong to try to put them 
aside. Another article in this same paper 
speaks of the masses on this globe, for which, as 
it says, after a comparatively short period, there 
will not be even breathing-space to be found. 
We have all heard people seriously speak of 
fires, cyclones, pestilences, and various other 


198 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


disasters, as God’s means of diminishing the 
number of human beings. For years, now, the 
question, not only as regards professions and 
almost all occupations, but in Europe even re- 
specting territory itself, has not been of popula- 
tion, but of over-population. This may seem to 
some of the Club a long and inexcusable digres- 
sion, but I cannot conceive how a woman can 
realize the dignity of her position as house- 
keeper, and fulfil its duties properly, unless she 
have a proper conception of her dignity and 
her rights as wife and mother ; and the latter 
necessarily and primarily involves just such 
questions as we have been discussing, taking 
that story as our text. The subject of time is 
closely interwoven with that of housekeeping, 
and upon this topic we hear many ignorant 
opinions from the lips of those who should 
utter wisdom. I know a young lady of intelli- 
gence and gifts, who recently made a visit to 
the home of a married brother. She told me 
that the question as to whether or not she 
ought to pursue her art (of painting) if she 
married, had often come up in her mind ; but 
after her experiences with her brother’s children, 
she saw that it would not be right to do so. , I 
differ from her widely, feeling certain that she 
would commit an actual wrong were she to neg- 
lect this gift. In reading the Parables, I can- 


A MOTHER^S RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 199 

not discover that Christ made any exception in 
favor of women, when he forbade the hiding of 
a talent in a napkin.” 

“ But what is to be done if a woman’s house- 
hold duties prevent her from exercising her 
.talent?” asked the Practical Person. 

“ If she has assumed household cares, I should 
say their claim was the stronger of the two. 
There are cases where women possess a talent 
whose exercise would materially interfere with 
the proper performance of household duties, and 
possess it in such a marked degree that to me 
it seems plain God did not intend they should 
marry. I think there are men, too, who are set 
apart for a single life, by God’s having given 
them some especial work which would interfere 
with their duties as husband and father. But 
my own experience, as well as the experience of 
many older and abler women, has shown me 
that it is only a vocation of an exceptional kind 
which must of necessity prevent, for man or 
woman, the proper performance of the duties 
belonging to married life.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes, did you think about this before 
you were married ? ” asked Dolly. 

“Yes; I was led to think of it. I was in- 
structed and taught by wise parents to look about 
me observingly and intelligently. The men or 
women who postpone such study until after 


200 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


marriage are sure to bring a great deal of trouble 
upon themselves, and on others who are innocent 
of the mistake or wrong. Ever since I was a 
very young girl my mind has been busily re- 
volving the problems of woman’s life and work. 
I have travelled some, visited some, been in a 
number of households, and even as a girl it was 
my custom to study the workings of those house- 
holds. In most of them I must say that I re- 
garded much that I saw as one regards a warning 
sign-board. ‘ Go and do 7iot likewise,’ was the 
command I frequently seemed to hear ; but there 
were homes in which I saw such good manage- 
ment, such an admirable union of heart and 
brain, that I was fain to sit at the feet of the 
mistress and learn of her. And so when I took 
charge of a home of my own, my mind was well 
stored with theories, the result of observation 
and thought. Among other aims these stood out 
prominently, — the establishment of an attract- 
ive and comfortable home with the least expen- 
diture of money; the proper care of infants 
with the least expenditure of time and strength ; 
and the development of the character of my 
servants. At first came the struggle which is 
the almost inevitable attendant upon an adjust- 
ment of theory to practice. I do not claim that 
the work is ended, nor that it ever will be ended ; 
there will always be need for study, thought, and 


A MOTHER^S RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 201 


endeavor to exercise the highest powers. But I 
have year by year been finding my task less 
difficult, and I believe that it will continually 
grow so.” 

“ Don’t you think, Mrs. Hughes, that women 
have many wrongs inflicted on them ? ” asked a 
Silent Member, whose face told its story. 

“ I sometimes think that women are the most 
deeply wronged of all God’s creation ; but on 
looking about me I am bound to confess that in 
most cases they themselves are mainly respon- 
sible for these wrongs. Such ignorance of their 
rights ; such failure to show common-sense, 
reason, judgment, — to put their brains into the 
care of their households and children, — as one 
sees on every side, is fairly disheartening. And 
worse still, not only are women guilty of these 
grave errors, but there is a false note running 
through their creed, and on that note is keyed 
the cry that these same errors are virtues ; that 
these and not their opposite mean womanliness, 
true wifehood, and motherhood. Never was a 
falser note sounded ! ” 

“You do think, then, that women are in- 
ferior to men, Mrs. Hughes ! ” exclaimed the 
Frivolous Person ; and she seemed rather de- 
lighted. 

“ By no means,” answered Mrs. Hughes, with 
unusual force. “ In looking closely into the 


202 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


affairs of men, one can discern much of the 
same stupidity and ignorance, modified neces- 
sarily by a man’s being out in the world more 
and gaining some sense by hard knocks. But 
however that may be, it is over my own sex that 
I chiefly mourn, because their work is the more 
important of the two, and hence their errors are 
more disastrous than the errors of men. In my 
more sanguine moments I hope that an entirely 
different state of affairs will be brought about, 
and in my most sanguine I firmly believe it will. 
At present, I venture to assert that there is not 
one woman out of a hundred whose household 
management would betray that admirable union 
of heart and brains which should form the true 
womanly ideal. When women become women 
indeed, we shall have educated mothers educat- 
ing their children. Public schools will then be 
relegated to their proper place, and become the 
foster home of the lower classes chiefly, — those 
whose parents are prevented by ignorance or 
the needs of toil, or probably by both, from 
educating them ; and then perhaps these 
schools will not continue to teach French, 
Latin, Greek, and some other branches, at the 
public expense.” 

“You believe, then, in limiting the small 
low-born boy’s knowledge?” said the Sprightly 
Lady. 


A MOTHER'S RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 20,3 

“ No ; but I believe in letting him work for 
his education beyond a certain point. But this 
subject has not even as much excuse for claim- 
ing our consideration as the last, and I must 
forego it. Indeed, I feel I must for the hun- 
dredth time ask pardon for digression, and again 
promise better conduct in the future.’* 


204 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XIIL 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 

PON the next assemblage of the Club, I 



^ observed that the Frivolous Young Per- 
son was missing. “ I knew it ! ” I exclaimed 
mentally ; I knew she could n’t stand that last 
meeting ! ” I always was able to foretell any- 
thing after it occurred. A few of the other ladies 
seemed to have had their enthusiasm a trifle 
dampened, owing, I suppose, to the fact that 
they had talked the last meeting over with their 
husbands. But Mrs. Hughes was not a woman 
to be moved by anything of that kind. She was 
too just and too calm to allow any opposition to 
cause her to waver from an action or a word she 
deemed right. At the same time she was far from 
being a contentious woman, or one who lacked 
wisdom enough to see when it was time to be 
silent. And having said all she thought neces- 
sary to say for a time on those vital questions, 
she brought forward other subjects. Her con- 
trol over those with whom she associated was, 
to casual observers, wonderful ; but the secret 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 205 

lay, not alone in her mental power, but also in 
her gentle courtesy, her justice, and her tender, 
sympathetic nature. 

“ We were speaking,” she said, on opening the 
meeting, — for she had long since acceded to the 
wish of the Club that she should be its leader, — 
“ several meetings ago, I think it was, we were 
speaking of the matter of engaging servants, and 
their asking many questions at that time. It 
seems to me that the best plan is for the mis- 
tress to volunteer answers to these questions 
before they are asked, if we may so express it. 
The latter is my plan. After asking a girl about 
various things, I say : * Now I suppose that you 
want to know all you can about the place I have 
to offer you.’ And then I tell her, not only 
what wages I will give, but also of what my fam- 
ily consists, and what her work and her privi- 
leges will probably be. I am very minute, both 
for her sake and also for my own, for I find that 
all is apt to run more smoothly when there has 
in the first place been a perfect understanding.” 

” Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, will you please 
tell me something about governing servants.” 

“ As much as I can *, but it is difficult to con- 
dense that subject into a few words. There are, 
or should be, various ways, for, as we said be- 
fore, no two can be treated alike ; and the suc- 
cessful mistress, like the successful mother or 


206 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


teacher, or any leader or governor, in fact, must 
be a student of human nature. But there are 
some general rules which, as far as my experi- 
ence and study go, seem, with few exceptions, to 
be of value. One of these, for me at least, grew 
out of a hint I received from an article on a 
child’s telling lies. The advice here given was 
to go out of one’s way, if necessary, to convince 
the child that he lost whenever he told a falsehood, 
not by whipping him, — that was not recom- 
mended, — but by letting him find out that not 
only the advantage he strove to gain was lost, 
but some other advantage as well. This same 
rule can be applied to service, I think. For in- 
stance, if a girl is careless, I take great pains, 
generally without saying anything to her, to let 
her see that her carelessness costs her trouble. 
I have hanging in my kitchen a blank-book and 
pencil, so that the cook may set down any article 
needed from the grocery or butcher-shop. If 
she forgets to do this I let the omission pass, if 
possible, without notice, until some time when 
it is particularly inconvenient to her to go out 
after whatever article has been omitted from the 
order, and then I send her for it. Sometimes I 
speak of these things, by directing a careless 
girl’s attention to the many needless steps she 
takes because she does not use her memory. I 
always try to see that the penalty for the care- 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 20 / 


lessness or wrong-doing of a servant never falls 
upon any one but herself. This requires atten- 
tion and management, of course. On the other 
hand, I show my servants that they gain by 
good service. Praise has always been with me 
a powerful instrument of government. I have 
rarely ever talked with a servant reprovingly, 
when I have not taken pains at the same time 
to notice something she did well, or some good 
trait she possessed. And I never fail to notice 
any attention or kindness, however slight, which 
my servants may show me. This always stimu- 
lates them to greater efforts to please. It is 
sometimes necessary to awe one’s servants a tri- 
fle. For illustration, permit me to speak of a 
nurse I once had, but could only keep until I 
was able to supply her place, because of her tem- 
per. She never gave way to passion before me, 
but I knew that even her repressed irritability 
found a certain expression, and had a certain bad 
influence over the children. She belonged to a 
class with whom I dislike to deal, although I 
can if necessary. I had to keep her in order by 
demonstration of superior force and will-power. 
She never dared show anger to me, but I knew 
that she vented her ill-humors in my kitchen, — 
knew it because I knew that such a nature as 
hers must find an outlet, and because I noticed 
in the atmosphere of my house the effect of her 


208 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


angry complaints. But it astonished my cook 
very much when I told her one day that although 
I had not overheard a syllable that had been 
spoken, I knew what Charlotte was saying in 
the kitchen. Several times my knowledge of 
human nature, and of the inevitable consequences 
of certain conditions and elements of character, 
has impressed my servants with an idea that my 
oversight was not confined to the times of my 
presence.” 

“What do you do when a girl is impudent, 
Mrs. Hughes ” asked the Sprightly Lady. 

“ I never had an impudent servant.” 

“You must have been wonderfully fortunate 
in their dispositions, then,” observed the Prac- 
tical Person. 

“ No, I think not. This nurse, of whom I 
have been speaking, was a most high-tempered, 
proud-spirited girl. But although I had to talk 
to her sometimes in the plainest and even se- 
verest way, I never had an impudent word from 
her. She was a girl who could not keep any 
place, because of her temper. I only kept her 
two months, and would have parted with her 
sooner, but for the fact that I was ill and could 
not choose another girl. I felt sorry for her; 
she had had much to embitter her life. But 
although I did not feel it right to continue my 
children in her care, she knew that I understood 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 209 

and to a certain extent sympathized with her; 
knew, too, that when I reproved her I always 
had justice on my side ; and I think that this 
same justice had even more control over her 
than my will. I always showed her, as I always 
, show all my servants, that I am perfectly fear- 
less. I show them, too, that I rely on their 
doing what is right by me. Once, when I was 
sick in bed, Charlotte went out for the afternoon 
without permission. It was the day which I 
usually gave her, but she knew that when I was 
ill she ought to consult me. I only discovered 
her absence by learning that my cook was 
unable to perform some service for my nurse 
because she had the children in charge. I said 
to my husband that I would talk to Charlotte 
and see that that never happened again. He ad- 
vised me not to do so, as I would be in a great 
strait if she left at that time ; but I had no fear, 
and on her return I summoned her to my room. 
I asked her very quietly how she came to go 
out without permission. She replied that it was 
her regular day. I said, ‘ I have never had a day 
when my servants are free to go out, come wind 
or rain or hail. You knew I was ill, and you 
should have asked if you could be spared.’ She 
said she did ask Maggie, the cook, and she told 
her she could go. I almost smile now, when 
I think of how I drew myself up in bed, and 
14 


210 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


spoke with such dignity, ‘ Charlotte, you will 
have to understand, once for all, that Maggie is 
not the one to give permission ; as long as I live, 
I shall be mistress here.’ At another time in 
my life I had an Irish cook who had been con- 
siderably petted and flattered. She had been 
receiving five dollars a week, and in addition to 
a very exalted opinion of herself, she possessed 
an ugly temper. There were many occasions 
during the time she lived with me, when nothing 
but the most careful management kept her from 
impudence. At the risk of being tedious, I will 
relate a scene that once took place between us. 
I have always insisted on having the servants 
air their room thoroughly, and one morning, on 
going into Bridget’s room, I found that the win- 
dow had not been opened. It was frozen down ; 
but, as I had shown her before, a little hot water 
from the bath-room near by would suffice to 
thaw it. I went to work upon it this time my- 
self, and just then she came upstairs. She felt, 
as I intended she should, tacitly reproved, and 
was angry. She began making up her bed, and 
I said, ‘ Bridget, the room is not aired, so you 
need not make the bed yet.’ She muttered 
something about the bed not needing any more 
airing, and continued making it up. Again I 
said very quietly, as I worked away at the win- 
dow, ‘ Bridget, I do not wish to have you make 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 21 1 


that bed now.’ She proceeded to mutter and 
growl to herself, as she did when angry. It 
was a peculiar sound like distant thunder, and 
I always knew it threatened a storm, and was 
wary. She continued to make up the bed, and 
I said no more, but pursued my work, resolved 
to dismiss her if she really disobeyed me. But 
after she had half made it she left the room 
and went downstairs, still growling ominously. 
That day and the next I avoided my kitchen as 
a mariner avoids an ugly rock. When neces- 
sary to give directions, I did so as gravely and 
briefly as possible.. I could see that Bridget’s 
smothered rage gradually cooled, and on the 
third day she was all complaisance, — evidently 
anxious to make amends. Then she was in 
just the proper condition; and as her day’s 
work had not been hard enough to fatigue her 
especially, that evening I summoned her to my 
room. I had her then in my power, so to 
speak, for her passion had passed away and 
left her defenceless. I gave her one of the 
plainest talks she ever had. I spoke kindly, 
and, as was my custom, showed I appreciated 
her good traits ; yet I told her she had narrowly 
escaped dismissal, which would have been a 
great disgrace to her. I showed her how im- 
possible it would be for me to maintain my 
position as mistress if I allowed any such con- 


212 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


duct; and I told her that a repetition of the 
offence would of necessity part us. The woman 
had the good sense to see that justice was 
on my side, and she apologized for what she 
had done, and I never afterward had the same 
trouble with her, although I often left my 
kitchen because I knew that if I continued 
there I should be forced to notice some mis- 
demeanor, reproof for which she was then in no 
mood to brook. That is, I think, the great 
secret of avoiding impudence on the part of 
servants ; always be cool yourself, particularly 
with a hot-tempered girl, and if you have occa- 
sion for serious reproof, or if it is necessary to 
talk over a number of matters, select some time 
when she is not fatigued, when she is quiet and 
disposed to listen. And of all things, take her 
alone. Never make the mistake of reproving a 
servant before others ; you mortify her, and the 
resentment she feels because of this humiliation 
almost invariably finds its outlet in impudence.” 

“ I don’t think they all are as sensitive as 
you suppose, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical 
Person. 

“I can only say,” answered Mrs. Hughes, “that 
I should have no hopes of making anything out 
of a servant who was not somewhat stung and 
humiliated when reproved before others. Even 
in small matters I think it is very unwise to 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT 213 


make any correction whatever before other per- 
sons. Indeed, it has always been my custom to 
do as much of my speaking as possible — direc- 
tions and all — when I am alone with my ser- 
vants. I find that this course tends to make 
them more quiet and respectful in their behavior 
about the house. I remember once visiting in 
a family where scarcely a meal passed without 
some conversation of this kind between the mis- 
tress and the maid. The mistress would perhaps 
discover that her plate was cold, and turn at 
once to the waitress : ‘ These plates are cold 
again to-day ; I told you to look after this, and 
see that they were always warm.’ And then the 
waitress would try to vindicate herself by saying, 
perhaps, ‘I heated them myself to-day; they must 
have cooled.’ And the mistress would further 
remark, * They certainly have. I can’t bear cold 
plates ; it just spoils my dinner.’ All this was 
very irritating to the servant and offensive to the 
listeners. Even if the lady had spoken to the 
girl alone, she should first have asked her to ex- 
plain herself. Indeed, a mistress should always 
do that, for often there are circumstances con- 
nected with a fault that will partially if not 
wholly excuse it, and all this should be known 
before reproof is attempted. Some women seem 
deliberately to adopt a method which is ad- 
mirably contrived in every way to make even a 


214 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


respectful girl impudent. I have heard mis- 
tresses of this kind nag their servants until 
they were exasperated, nettled, and stung into 
impertinence. Such a thing as calling reproofs' 
up or down stairs, or even giving ordinary direc- 
tions from one room to another, is not only un- 
ladylike but also unwise ; and the result of such 
conduct is almost always a familiar if not imper- 
tinent manner on the part of the servant. This 
nagging is an especially irritating habit. I think 
that many faults should go unreproved. I once 
heard blindness earnestly recorrimended to 
teachers ; and I think that in the same sense it 
might well be urged upon mistresses. But when 
it is necessary to reprove or direct, then do so, 
but make the remarks pithy and brief. Say 
what you have to in order to be clearly under- 
stood, and be done with it ; repetitions weaken 
authority. Time, place, and manner all have to 
be consulted in dealing with servants, as with 
children. If a lady goes into her kitchen when 
the girl is just struggling with a large wash, or 
has just completed it, and takes her to task for 
some fault, she deliberately courts impertinence.” 

“ ‘ She WOOS, and should win,’ ” observed the 
Sprightly Lady. 

“I certainly think so,” said Mrs. Hughes. 
“ Then, again, if she chooses a time when she 
herself is tired or excited, she must not expect 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT 21 5 


good results. A lady should send for her ser- 
vant, when it becomes necessary to reprove her 
seriously, and speak with her quite alone. Two 
things I have always made clear to my girls 
when I was reproving them, — one, that I had 
far rather bestow praise than blame, that I was 
really unhappy when matters , went wrong and 
the good feeling between us was even tempora- 
rily impaired ; and the other, that I tried in 
every way to do what was right and kind by 
them, to allow them every privilege possible, 
and in all ways to make their lives with me as 
pleasant as I could. I always appealed to them 
to know if this were not so, and then appealed 
to their sense of justice to know if I had not a 
right to look to them to do all in their power to 
make matters comfortable and pleasant for me. 
It would be a very strange girl who would be 
impudent if she were always dealt with in this 
way. I have never known such an one, and, as 
I said before, I have had some very high-tem- 
pered servants. I have had, too, even with my 
good servants, some occasions for discipline that 
might naturally have taxed their patience. I 
once had a very faithful girl, who, though quiet, 
was fond of going out. On one occasion I gave 
her permission to attend several entertainments 
that followed in close succession, on condition 
that she would be home at a certain time, — 


2I6 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


eleven, I think. She overstayed the hour each 
night, always having an excuse, it is true. Sat- 
urday night came, and she asked if she could go 
to a sociable. I consented, only on condition 
that she should be home at half-past ten, setting 
an earlier hour because she had been so often 
delinquent. She did not come until half-past 
twelve. I had no doubt of the girl’s good char- 
acter, but I felt that, as its protector, I must take 
some decided measures. Sunday was her day 
out; but I summoned her to my room, talked 
with her, and told her finally that because she 
had abused my favors, she must not go out for a 
week. I know this was very hard for her, but 
she felt herself in the wrong, and she bore the 
penalty. After that I had no more trouble.” 

Mrs. Hughes,” said a Silent Member, “ you 
spoke of being brief with servants. You don’t 
believe, then, in talking with them very much t ” 
“ Why, yes, I think I do, but only at the proper 
time and in the proper way. I have always 
conversed more or less with my servants, espe- 
cially with my nurse. The latter is near me 
much of the time, and I am anxious to have 
her know my views, so as to be able to take 
care of my children intelligently. When I was 
a younger housekeeper, I had for three years a 
very valuable nurse, who came to me first as 
cook. I always recall with delight the remark 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT, 21 7 

made by an intimate friend after this girl had 
been with me for over a year. She said, ‘ Mar- 
tha has changed very much since she first came 
to you. Her whole appearance is different. She 
shows in every way an improvement in char- 
acter.’ I earnestly hope that no girl ever lived 
with me as nurse any length of time without 
being, when she left, better prepared to take 
charge of a house of her own and bring up chil- 
dren, if she ever had any. I always endeavor 
to take such an interest in my servants that 
they will freely tell me where they have been 
when they go out. They almost always tell 
where they are going, and afterward I always 
ask if they had a pleasant time, and what went 
on ; and I hope that this friendly interest pro- 
tects them, as well as influences them favorably.” 

“ I suppose, Mrs. Hughes, you don’t approve 
of anything like familiarity with servants,” said 
a Silent Member. 

“ Not under any circumstances. As I have 
often said, familiarity between mistress and 
maid is both undignified and improper; but there 
is a certain pleasant jesting way of treating ser- 
vants, which, from some people toward some 
people, is very successful, and does not beget 
familiarity.” 

Yes,” said Dolly, '' I know a lady who almost 
always governs her servants in that way. She 


2I8 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


is from the South, and has been accustomed to 
negroes all her life, and she has a certain man- 
ner that works wonders with those whom she 
undertakes to govern. Sometimes she is hu- 
morous, sometimes a trifle sarcastic, and some- 
times she indulges in a little anger, which is 
about half real and half pretended, and then 
they all know she is not to be trifled with, and 
they fly around and do what she wants without 
delay. She is really a fascinating study to me ; 
for with all this jocularity and ease of manner, 
she never loses her dignity, and I know that her 
servants would not dream of taking a liberty 
with her ; sometimes they even stand a little in 
awe of her. But they are devoted to her and 
her interest; she can do almost anything with 
them. She says, though, that up North she 
finds a great difference in the servants. Many 
of them cannot be treated in that way. Indeed, 
she has had a few to whom she scarcely dare 
say Good-morning, for fear of their taking ad- 
vantage of her, and straightway trying to be 
familiar. But I know that she does not feel at 
all at home with servants of that type, and she 
generally manages to have another kind about 
her.” 

“ How does she talk to them ? ” asked a Silent 
Member. 

“ Oh, that is very hard to tell. If I were to 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT. 2 19 

try to imitate I should probably only succeed in 
caricaturing her. I remember two or three little 
things I overheard her say, but I am afraid they 
will sound very flat repeated without her voice 
and manner. Once she had found the servants’ 
room in great disorder, and she accosted her 
housemaid with, * See here, Jane, I ’ve just been 
up into your room, and I am mortified to think 
I have any girls in my house who would keep 
such a place. Even your hats were on the floor. 
If you go on this way, some day those hats will 
be missing, and you and Katie will have to go 
to prayer-meeting bareheaded.’ One Sunday 
her nurse was out, and one of the other servants 
had charge of the childrep. For some reason 
she wished to have them bathed in a foot-tub 
instead of in the bath-room, but the foot-tub 
was missing. She told Jane, the housemaid, 
to look it up, saying that Bridget, the nurse, 
used it for the children the day before. I believe 
servants are notoriously poor searchers, and Jane 
proved no exception ; for she appeared and said 
quietly and resignedly, ‘ The tub is n’t to be 
found, ma’am.’ My friend turned upon her, and 
with one of her inimitable expressions, half 
humorous and half severe, said, ‘ Of course you 
can’t find it when it ’s not in the house. I sup- 
pose Bridget took it to Mass with her.’ The 
girl’s face broke into a smile as this ludicrous 


220 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


picture presented itself, and she hastily with- 
drew and — found the tub. Sometimes when 
her servants ask permission to go out in the 
evening, she ’ll say, ‘ Well, is it one or two o’clock 
to-night Then they say what time they’ll be 
at home, and although she ’s very indulgent, she 
generally holds them to it. She gives the ser- 
vants a vacation once in a while. Indeed, I 
think she watches very closely without saying 
much, and if she sees signs of fatigue she cries a 
halt, so to speak, in the work. During some of 
their vacations she pays their wages right on. 
Once, after she had been away herself, I heard 
her say to her cook, ‘ Well, Katie, I suppose 
you ’re crazy to be travelling now. You’ll have 
to leave next.’ Then the girl modestly told of a 
little visit she would like to make, and my friend 
at once arranged matters so that she could go. 
I don’t know of any one who deals with servants 
more successfully than this lady, but her methods 
are inimitable.” 

“Yes,” said Mrs. Hughes, “I know of another 
lady who has just such ways, and she, too, is 
from the South. I myself should never under- 
take any such style of government, for those 
manners and ways are not natural to me by birth 
or education, and if I attempted them I should 
fail to be fascinating and simply be coarse and 
familiar. I know a lady who attempts such ways 


METHODS OF HOME GOVERNMENT, 221 


and fails miserably. She herself is a North- 
erner, but her husband is from Kentucky, and 
she has probably learned something of this 
manner of governing servants from him. I have 
heard her go to the foot of the stairs and call 
to her housemaid, ‘ Sarah, here ’s a letter from 
your beau.’ Her servants are almost always 
familiar with her, and often impudent, and she 
wonders why it is ; but we can easily understand. 
The trouble is not in her words alone. When 
she tries to adopt this free-and-easy way, there 
is a certain indescribable something in tone and 
manner which marks the difference between the 
real and the imitation. The former is very suc- 
cessful with some servants, the latter is a great 
failure. But enough for to-day ; we must be 
turning homeward.” 

“ Ay ! ” said the Sprightly Lady, “ ‘ our noble 
husbands do lack us.’ ” 


222 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

CARE FOR servants’ CHARACTER. 

“1\ yT RS. HUGHES,” said the Practical Per- 
IVJL son, when the Club next assembled, 
“ some reference has been made to giving vaca- 
tions to servants. Do you believe in that ” 

“ Yes ; I give a yearly vacation of four weeks 
to all my servants, and pay their wages just the 
same. When I kept but one girl, she always 
found a substitute for me ; but since I have kept 
more, I have generally so lessened and divided 
the work among the others that one could be 
spared. I know how tired girls become after 
working a long time, and I have found that these 
vacations are of great benefit. We ourselves 
need to break ranks once in a while, and our lives 
are less monotonous and our work generally 
more pleasant than theirs.” 

“ I notice, Mrs. Hughes, that you often quote 
what your servants think about things,” said 
Dolly. “ I believe that one secret of your suc- 
cess with them is that you look at matters from 
their standpoint.” 


CA/^E FOE SERVANTS^ CHARACTER. 223 

“ I try to, for I think that, without this, jus- 
tice would be an impossibility. Whenever I 
talk with them, either for reproof or in a friendly 
way, I encourage them to say what they think, 
so long as they do it respectfully. In this way 
I have learned much about the ordering of my 
work and managing my workers. Every now 
and then we hear of some large establishment, 
like John Wanamakers in Philadelphia, and 
Pillsbury’s Mills in Minneapolis, where a system 
of copartnership is in vogue, and the result of 
such a method has always, I believe, been satis- 
factory. I have tried something of that kind 
with my servants almost ever since I went to 
housekeeping, and it has worked well.” 

“What do you da.?” asked the Imitation 
Millidnnaire. 

I noticed she did not speak as often as for- 
merly, nor with as great confidence. 

“ I have only so far tried it with my cook, but 
I hope to find a way of carrying out the same 
plan with all my servants. I know just about 
what my butcher and grocer bill ought to be if 
ordinary care is taken to prevent waste. In the 
early days of our housekeeping twenty dollars 
was the figure for groceries, each month, and 
five dollars for meat. If the bills did not ex- 
ceed this limit, the cook received an extra half- 
dollar on the first week of the succeeding month. 


224 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


If the groceries came to any figure between 
eighteen and nineteen dollars, and the butcher’s 
bill to four, the cook’s premium was seventy-five 
cents, and so on.” 

“What did you do if the bills were over 
large ” 

“ I looked after matters more closely, and if 
the girl persisted in extravagance I dismissed 
her. But usually this plan resulted in more 
economy than any vigilance of mine in overlook- 
ing would have done, and saved me time and 
annoyance as well as money. Another point 
gained by making servants feel that they are in 
a manner partners in your establishment, is their 
own increase of dignity and self-respect. This 
is something I have alw^lys labored for ; I try 
to make my girls sensitive to the disgrace of 
unfaithful, slack service. I continually impress 
them with the dishonesty of taking money for 
which they have but half worked, and the dig- 
nity of feeling that what they receive belongs to 
them by right of good labor. This self-respect 
and dignity of character I try in every way to 
inculcate, for it is a great safeguard. It enters 
into a servant’s treatment of her male friends ; 
into her sensitiveness about reproof, making 
her feel it a disgrace if she has to be watched 
like a child, for fear of forgetfulness, or punished 
in any way. The development of the character 


CARE FOR SERVANTS'' CHARACTER, 225 

of our servants is a serious responsibility, — one 
from which no thoughtlessness on our part can 
free us. We are constantly hearing of railway 
reading-rooms, working-men’s reading-rooms, 
and so on. How many mistresses provide read- 
ing for their servants } ” 

“ It would be very hard, Mrs. Hughes, to know 
what kind to offer them,” said the Practical 
Person. 

Yes, that is true ; but one can find something. 
As a rule, they are interested in a class of read- 
ing suitable to children of average brightness, — 
children from seven to ten years old ; although 
some servants are beyond this mark, and some 
have not yet reached it. Another point to be 
considered when we q,ve thinking, as we always 
should, of our servants’ characters, is care about 
the conversation overheard. I always shrink 
when any one in my house indulges in talk about 
lovers, and pressing hands, and all such silly 
nonsense, before my servants ; for to them, with 
their crude ideas, and their knowledge of much 
moral laxity, all that has a worse sound than to 
us. And if they fancy such things are endorsed 
by those whom they are accustomed to regard 
as above them, the effect is bad. In the same 
way many foolishly indulge in jests on the 
subject of religion, or falsehood, or honesty, or 
some other virtue ; and although they themselves 
IS 


226 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


may be quite correct in life, their influence on any 
who hear them must be bad, if they happen to be 
of a different or an ignorant class. Still another 
point to which we should look, when considering 
this subject of our servant’s character, is extrava- 
gance. For their sakes, as well as our own, we 
should endeavor to make economy dignified and 
worthy of respect, and extravagance disreputable. 
Some people affect extravagance, or really indulge 
in it, thinking that it gives them an aristocratic air, 
— an air of having been accustomed to luxury. 
If they did but know it, such folly makes them 
contemptible in the eyes of all right-minded 
people, and gives them a dishonorable rather 
than an aristocratic air. You will almost always 
find that people who affect these ways have dis- 
graceful unpaid bills in the background ; you 
will find that they think lightly of their credit, 
and that others do the same. To be forced into 
debt because of unexpected and unusual expenses 
is a great misfortune, but no disgrace; to be 
thrown into debt by reason of mismanagement 
is still more unfortunate, but no disgrace if the 
parties are doing their utmost to retrieve their 
errors and pay what they owe ; but to deliber- 
ately make debts, and then go on living extrava- 
gantly while these are unpaid, and still worse, 
to make a display of such extravagance, is dis- 
reputable, and should, and does, sooner or later. 


CAT^E FOE SERVANTS^ CHARACTER. 22 / 


blast the character of those who are guilty of 
such conduct” 

Just at this point the Imitation Millionnaire 
became very busy arranging some of her dra- 
peries, and affected not to hear what was said. 

“ But, Mrs. Hughes,” objected a Silent Mem- 
ber, ‘'you spoke of teaching economy to our 
servants ; setting them an example, I suppose 
you mean. But I don’t quite see how we can do 
that ; you surely would not have us live as it 
would be proper for them to live.” 

“ Certainly not ; but the different styles of liv- 
ing suitable for different people could, I think, 
easily be made clear to sensible girls. It seems 
to me that any one could appreciate the fact that 
Mrs. Jones, who is worth a million, has a right 
to dress more elegantly than Mrs. Smith, who 
is not worth a hundred. But the point that I 
would especially enforce is, that although some 
things that would be extravagant for Mrs. Smith' 
are perfectly proper for Mrs. Jones, yet actual 
waste would be as sinful in one case as in 
another. We are doing a good work whenever 
we make economy — not parsimony, but econ- 
omy — dignified and extravagance disgraceful. 
I once knew a young couple who, owing to the 
wicked indulgences of the man, became involved 
in debt, and were forced to break up house- 
keeping. The wife was young and very igno- 


228 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


rant ; and while in the main I doubt not she 
was desirous of doing right, yet I could not 
avoid seeing that, partly because of an unfortu- 
nate early training, and still more because of an 
association with her corrupt and dishonorable 
husband, her sense of honor was blunted. Al- 
though she and he had small butcher and grocer 
bills which they were unable to pay then, and 
had no prospect of ever paying, — bills which 
they felt they must ever allow to go unpaid, — 
yet she would talk to me of her husband’s 
nice tastes ; of how he would never use — what 
my entire family then used — castile soap, but 
must have a fine article. Disgust was the only 
emotion that this and more talk of the same 
nature inspired in me. We should have the 
same feeling, I think, toward those housekeepers 
who permit and even encourage extravagance in 
their kitchens. It is thought by some poor silly 
women to sound stylish to speak of the extrava- 
gance of an Irish cook. We Americans would 
do well to sit at the feet of the French for a few 
years and learn how to turn every bit and scrap 
into a dainty dish. That were an art to be 
proud of, indeed ! And if we ourselves first 
learn and then teach such arts in our household, 
we can have the satisfaction of knowing that we 
are preparing our servants in that respect to make 
good homes of their own when the time comes.” 


CA/^E FOE SERVANTS’ CHARACTER. 229 


“ You were speaking a few moments ago, Mrs. 
Hughes,” said Dolly, “ about the best method 
of dealing with a child if he should tell stories. 
Do you think that one can reform an untruthful 
servant ? ” 

“ Why, yes,” Mrs. Hughes answered with a 
smile ; ** otherwise I could not believe in future 
salvation. I certainly think that with God’s help 
we may so strengthen and prop up weakness as 
to reform erring servants ; it is somewhat more 
difficult to deal with viciousness, though I can- 
not believe that even that is beyond help. For 
our children’s sake we must, however, forego 
doing much that would otherwise be our duty 
as well as pleasure. But as to this matter of 
truthfulness, I have known many cases where 
servants as well as children were terrified into 
falsehood. If a mistress is quick and severe, 
and her maid at all timid, in nine cases out of 
ten the latter will learn to tell lies to shield 
herself. We should be very careful not to 
frighten a weak or a gentle nature into this 
sin.” 

“I would like to ask about another point, 
Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical Person. “You 
spoke once, I think, of improving a slow girl. Is 
there any way of making such an one fast } ” 

“ Perhaps not that, but I have seen such a 
servant improve greatly. Sloth is sometimes 


230 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


inborn, and expresses itself in the movements ; 
but more frequently, I think, it is the result of 
a lack of system. I once had a servant whose 
slowness had its origin in both causes. I talked 
with her, appealing to her good sense and reason, 
as I always do. I told her that I knew she 
would like to make me feel happy about the 
work and her service ; told her that her own 
life would be much easier and happier if she 
would form different habits ; that as she was 
now she must either violate her conscience and 
perform her duties in a half-way manner, or else 
she must be oppressed by a knowledge of the 
existence of much work still undone. In the 
course of the talk I said that I used to be very 
slow myself, but that, as she already knew, I 
was now able to do some of her work in half 
the time that she required ; and I suggested 
that she remedy her fault in the same way that 
I had remedied mine, — by giving herself a cer- 
tain time in which to accomplish any particular 
piece of work, watching the clock and pressing 
forward to achieve this end. I advised her to 
force herself to be steadfast ; to turn neither to 
the right nor to the left, either to talk with any 
one or look about her, but to learn to work while 
she worked, not at high-pressure rate, so as to 
cause great fatigue, but steadily and with reason- 
able celerity. Her lack of system I took in 


CAI^E FOE SERVANTS^ CHARACTER. 23 1 


hand, arranging her work for her until she 
gradually learned to do this herself; and as 
she adopted my suggestions and tried hard to 
please me, she soon became, not a very rapid 
worker, but one who accomplished considerable, 
and was indeed a valuable servant*.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes, you were speaking of the 
moral effect a mistress might have upon her 
servants’ character,” said Dolly. “ Do you ever 
try to impress any religious truths upon 
them ? ” 

“ This is a difficult question to answer in 
small space. My own convictions have under- 
gone great changes in the past few years ; 
or, to speak more exactly, whereas formerly I 
never had any real convictions, but merely 
accepted without examination, and repeated 
verbally, the beliefs of some other people, I 
now have earnest convictions of my own. Re- 
ligion, to my mind, is a much more diffused 
thing than I used to consider it. I can think 
of those whose every day is a Sabbath, — whose 
whole lives are sweetened and purified by the 
love of God, whose every act glorifies Him and 
makes the art of living well a little clearer and 
easier for some one else, who would neverthe- 
less be excluded by the severely Orthodox from 
a list of Christians because they believe in God’s 
future as well as present mercy ; believe that the 


232 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Story of Adam and Eve is a parable, as well as 
the story of Jonah and some others. It is my 
belief that in general the more attention we pay 
to forms and ceremonies, to theology, that purely 
human structure, the less attention we pay to 
religion, God’s structure. There are, of course, 
exceptions to this rule. I think of some to-day 
who are of the straitest sect, who would deem 
they did wrong to walk with a member of their 
own family on Sunday afternoon, or to write a 
letter to a mother on the Sabbath, who are 
nevertheless lovely characters. With my belief, 
of course I think that the harness they wear 
hampers and ties, denying to them that breadth 
and depth of character which is so forcible in 
doing good ; denies to them the enjoyment of 
that love and freedom which is the outgrowth of 
truth ; and, of course, I believe that such a har- 
ness is of human workmanship, and in no sense 
divine. In the main, as far as I have seen, there 
are very few happy families where such a code 
is in order ; very, very few where the result of 
such rigidity is not most grievous for some of 
the children ; and I must say I have as yet seen 
very few such households where the servants 
were won to Christ. You will, of course, con- 
clude that I am in favor of comparatively few 
forms and ceremonies, and that I think the 
greater number of even these few should be 


CARE FOR SERVANTS' CHARACTER. 233 

flexible, and subject to the change demanded by 
our growing knowledge, — that is, growing if we 
are keeping abreast of the great waves of theo- 
logical thought, if we are standing in the stream 
of light which the Sun of Righteousness is shed- 
ding upon us in this age. Some things never 
will change, and to these we cannot cling too 
lovingly, — that it is right to be pure, to be un- 
selfish, to be kind, to be diligent and brave in 
doing our work in this world, — our little or 
much, according to our strength and gifts, to 
enlighten and ennoble mankind ; and all this 
for Christ’s sake. And if we so live we shall 
have no need to set our servants lessons in 
the Catechism, or talk religion to them, to con- 
vince them that we are Christians. If we take 
a human interest in them ; if we continually 
set before them high motives for doing well 
even the most humble work ; if we deal kindly, 
justly, charitably, honorably, patiently with them, 
— in short, if we live our religion, we have small 
need to talk it. Do not understand me to dis- 
approve of the * word fitly spoken.’ All I urge 
is fewer religious words and more religious acts 
on the part of mistresses in general. I am 
strongly in fav^r of letting servants know for 
whose sake and because of whose love you are 
trying to do right ; but I think that you must 
win their respect and confidence by your treat- 


234 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


ment of them before your words will have any 
good effect.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes, do you believe in family 
prayers ? ” asked a Silent Member. 

Yes, for those who delight in such service ; 
but if any of the family are in any way compelled 
to come, I think the effect is most injurious. I 
was once spending the summer in a quiet place, 
and at that time it seemed to be fitting that my 
nurse and myself should study our Bible lesson 
together, and we enjoyed it very much. But at 
another time it might not have been as pleasant 
to the girl. It is always disastrous to try to 
force anything of this kind. Two truths have 
been borne in upon my innermost belief by 
my experience in life, and engraven there in 
golden letters, — there cannot be too much 
love ; there cannot be too great liberty. Li- 
cense is not liberty, and foolish fondness is not 
love ; but love — real love — and true liberty can 
never injure. There are to-day many parents 
clutching their little reins of authority, at the 
end of which are children fretting and fuming, 
checked in their growth, and looking forward 
to their coming of age. If those parents had 
but the wisdom to drop the Jines and utter 
merely an occasional word of counsel and a 
frequent word of love, the children whom they 
fancy would bound away and leap over some 


CARE FOR SERVANTS' CHARACTER. 235 

precipice, were they given a moment’s freedom, 
would merely graze in the beautiful pastures 
which line either side of the journey of life, 
and would grow in grace as rapidly as a house 
plant grows in beauty when set out in the soft 
spring showers and the glad spring sunshine. 
Liberty is a great principle of good government, 
and it applies as forcibly to the home as to the 
nation. Remember this in dealing with both 
children and servants: what you cannot achieve 
by moral suasion, with any creature who has a 
mind, is generally best unachieved. Babies 
sometimes have to be forced, but older chil- 
dren may be won.” 

The meeting was rather short this time, as 
Mrs. Hughes had another engagement, and no 
one felt like attempting to fill her place. For 
myself, I thought it was better to have the ladies 
go home when they did, for I was certain they 
had been fed all the meat they could digest that 
time. Indeed, I felt that if they digested half 
that had been given them, their lives would 
undergo quite a change for the better. 


236 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XV. 

HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 

I AM not at all sure that Mrs. Hughes had 
in mind any definite subject for discussion 
when the ladies gathered. Possibly she had, but 
I cannot believe it was the one she really took 
up, for her remarks bore every sign of being 
extemporaneous. There is such a vast difference 
between the various styles of conversation ! 
Sometimes, to a chosen few, we evolve a line 
of thought upon which we have studied so much 
that our words march forth like a well-drilled 
troop of soldiers ; sometimes we argue, leaping 
from one point to another, as a chamois leaps 
from rock to rock, and gaining our summit amid 
a certain enthusiasm of our physical and mental 
being, spurred to unexpected and hitherto un- 
attained heights by the quickening influence of 
other minds. And sometimes — how shall I 
express it.? — sometimes a chord of music, a 
look upon a dear face, or perhaps some one 
of life’s too common tragedies, will fall upon a 
sensitive, highly-wrought nature. Those vibrant 


HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 


237 


strings which run betwixt the heart and brain 
will quiver, and set both organs vibrating, and 
then it is as if the soul were melted and poured 
forth. It is a species of talk which can never 
be written, never repeated. It is born in an 
instant, and it dies as quickly, save in the stirred 
hearts of those who listen ; there it must always 
live. 

I noticed upon the day of which I am trying 
to give an account, that the Pale Lady looked 
paler than usual, sadder too, if possible. In- 
deed, there was something in her face which 
arrested my attention, and through my mind 
there flashed a fear that whatever her work 
here might be, it was almost accomplished. 
There were two or three other faces there that 
day that I thought looked tired, — more than 
that, discouraged. I know that Mrs. Hughes 
saw all this in an instant, and that it stirred her 
heart. For a few moments, while the ladies 
were gathering, she sat silent and absorbed; 
then, when all was still, she began with slow 
speech, and a quiet voice : — 

“ My heart is very full to-day, and I wish I 
could speak to you as I feel. I am often moved, 
when I turn my mind to this common phenome- 
non of life, — the great that lies in the small. 
Viewed in one way, nothing could seem more 
practical, less heroic, more devoid of sentiment. 


238 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


than housekeeping, and carried on as it is by 
many women, it certainly looks petty ; but all 
this is wrong. When we view it in its true 
light, when we pierce to the centre, we are 
almost startled. To-day the past rises in my 
mind. Perhaps I have given you the impression 
that after a short period of study I thoroughly 
mastered my household, and henceforth knew 
no back-sets or trials. But this would be untrue ; 
for long after I had apparently learned every 
detail of housekeeping, I was often overwhelmed 
with such a sense of failure as I cannot express 
to you, but which your own lives will enable you 
to understand without the aid of weak words. 
A woman’s work is infinitely harder than a 
man’s, because more comprehensive. Let her 
be the best of housekeepers, — if she be a 
wife, if she be a mother, she will still see be- 
hind her many failures, and before her many dif- 
ficult and almost impossible duties. A woman’s 
work involves ethical even more than practical 
questions. Beyond and above her actual house- 
keeping there arises in her mind a vision of an 
ideal housekeeping. She has, perhaps, a per- 
fect ideal, and to this she clings, in hope some- 
times, but more often in sorrow, and it may 
be in despair. It is better to face the truth ; 
no man in this world — this world that is but 
the threshold of another — is going to fully 


HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 


239 


understand the greatness and beauty of your 
aspiration, nor the meaning of your failures. 
My heart is so often stirred within me by these 
thoughts. I look abroad, and I hear one deed 
after another called noble. I hear the word 
‘hero,’ and then my eyes turn to some of 
the humblest and simplest homes in our land ; 
there I see some tired mother-face, and I say, 
‘ heroine.’ ” 

“ Do you think, Mrs. Hughes, that a woman 
can be a heroine in a quiet home } ” asked the 
Pale Lady. 

“ I know it ! ” Mrs. Hughes answered, and 
her face and words fairly glowed, “and God 
knows it too ! Oh, how He looks upon this ! 
How far He sees ! A woman has been tried 
beyond her physical strength. She is impa- 
tient with servants, children, and husband ; 
they call her ugly. She had meant to be so 
different, and she is broken with a sense of 
failure. But God looks at her and He says, 
‘ You are tired, my child ; you have nobly tried 
and you have won. You do not know it yet, 
but you have won.’ Right in some of the hum- 
blest homes of our land there are women whose 
daily life is one long thought for others, one 
sacrifice of self. They are, perhaps, impatient 
at times, despondent, utterly discouraged ; but 
God is watching them, and His hand is full of 


240 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


laurels. Some* day they will know all. Some 
day ; some day. I believe that many a woman 
lies down here to sleep, feeling that her work is 
all undone, her life a failure, and in that other 
world, where light is so abundant, she is awak- 
ened by the touch of a crown, — a victor’s crown. 
I beg you, dear friends, to think of all this when 
your hearts are ready to sink within you; believe 
it with all your souls, and it will bring a calm 
and lofty peace into your discouraged lives. 
You are keeping homes ^ not houses; do you 
think of that ? To husband, children, and ser- 
vants your influence goes out continually, and 
in the next world you shall see the fruits of 
your work. Do not think of it as small. It is 
the noblest on earth ; there is nothing, I am 
persuaded, in office, hall, or senate-chamber, 
which in God’s sight can equal this work which 
is appointed unto woman in her own little home. 
And it is not always the work itself, it is the 
fitness of the worker which results in perfection. 
Look at Christ ; I have often thought He only 
assumed a man’s form, because of the greater 
facility it afforded Him for commingling with 
all. His nature was that of a strong, noble, 
loving woman, and I cannot help believing that 
every such woman can come nearer unto Him 
in her daily life and work than it is possible 
for any man to approach. It is the physical, 


HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 


241 


the weak, tired physical alone, which gives the 
impression of failure. Remember that. Often 
when you think you are lacking in skill you are 
simply lacking in sleep ; often when you think 
you need more patience, more virtue of every 
kind, you only need rest. It is pleasant, more 
than that, it is helpful and stimulating, to receive 
an appreciative sympathy from those for whom 
one toils ; but do not live upon the hope of this, 
for it will often be withheld. And do not let 
this denial break you. Look up, when there is 
nothing of encouragement below, — look up, and 
you will see tender eyes and outstretched arms ; 
such pity, sympathy ; such marvellous, perfect 
understanding and love leaning down to you 
from out of heaven. ‘ Be ye strong therefore, 
and let not your hands be weak, for your work 
shall be rewarded.’ Remember that. Forget all 
else if you will, but oh, remember that ! ” 

The Pale Lady’s face was very white, but her 
eyes were tearless. She sat there, listening 
quietly, with that strange look that seemed to 
me born in another world. I contrasted her 
face, on this day, with that which she had worn 
during the first meetings of the Club, — that 
listless, indifferent face, — and I was moved as I 
began to realize something of what Dolly’s Club 
had done for her. Surely here was an instance 
of that phenomenon of life, — the great contained 
16 


242 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

within the small. I glanced from one to another 
of the ladies, and saw a deep interest pictured on 
every face. My Sprightly Friend seemed quite 
changed, for her gayety had vanished, and as 
she listened to Mrs. Hughes’s tender words she 
quietly wiped her tears away. “ I dare say,” I 
thought to myself, “ she has had her trials, for all 
she usually seems so merry ; her husband is a 
hot-tempered fellow, and I Ve no doubt he has 
often been unkind and unjust to her.” Just then 
I glanced at my little woman. In all my life I 
don’t think that I ever before had quite such a 
sensation — Dolly was crying ! 

I am ashamed to say that I felt a hot wave 
of resentment flash over me. I had not, perhaps, 
been a model husband, but I was a pretty good 
sort of fellow, and I felt in a manner irritated 
and wronged by Dolly’s tears. 

The meeting was a brief, quiet one that day. 
No one seemed to feel like talking when Mrs. 
Hughes finished. I suppose it is seldom or 
never that women can talk freely of those things 
which most deeply affect and influence their 
lives, for they must be fearful that they will let 
fall the curtain that conceals some one of the 
many skeletons of which most houses have their 
share. And so they chatter of the nothings of 
their existence ; but when the great themes are 
touched they withdraw within themselves and 


HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 


243 


keep silent, and some of them, — yes, I have 
seen it, — some of them creep away like wounded 
deer. And so I knew that their silence, on the 
day of which I am writing, grew out of no lack 
of interest, but rather the reverse. Indeed, I 
am certain that at no time since the forming of 
the Club had the impression of any meeting 
been as deep. As for myself, I did not meet 
Dolly, as was my custom, after the ladies had 
dispersed, to have our usual chat over what was 
said, and my report thereof. Instead, I took my 
hat, and going out of a side door left the house. 
I had no errand, nor any particular intent, other 
than to avoid talking with Dolly for a time. 
But as I walked, my feet led me as usual to the 
path along the lake. I can readily understand 
that there is truth in the assertion that the Alps 
have had no little share in the formation of 
Swiss character, for I have so often experienced 
the impossibility of harboring petty thoughts 
in the presence of Nature’s grandeur. That 
day the lake was still, albeit it was shaded by a 
cloud. Far away it stretched, and with it my 
thoughts expanded, ran backward, far backward, 
and forward, perhaps not so far, for I thought 
of Death, — and who knows how near he may 
stand at any time ? I turned me to the past, 
and one scene after another recurred to me. I 
saw Dolly’s face. Once it was tired. I came 


244 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


home and found her so ; she spoke impatiently 
to me when I threw my overcoat down in the 
parlor, and I called her cross, and she burst into 
tears and left the room. I was too proud to seek 
her and learn the trouble, and then say I was 
sorry. Oh that miserable, contemptible pride, 
which prevents us from saying we are sorry ! 
When I saw Dolly next, she smiled and talked as 
usual, and I let what I deemed her nonsense 
pass ; but when I thought it all over, I knew 
better. She was tired ; perhaps she had been 
trying especially, and perhaps things had gone 
wrong. Many a time when I have come home 
from my office all out of sorts, Dolly has bright- 
ened the fire, as well as her face, and smoothed 
the entire home for me, till I was won to tell her 
what had tried me. And as I walked along the 
lake that day I could feel her soft arms around 
my neck, and her kisses on my face, and hear 
her bright, cheerful voice, made soft and tender 
with love, saying, “ Never mind, dear, never 
mind.” Did I comfort her so when she needed 
help } I could have beaten myself, I felt so 
miserable, so contemptible ! “ The weaker sex 

indeed ! ” I thought with growing indignation. 
** How heavily we lean upon them, and how they 
support and uphold us ; and when they turn to 
us in an hour of need, how we give way beneath 
their weight, and make them realize that they 


HOMES, HOT HOUSES. 


245 


must stand alone ! Let who will call me a 
woman I If I am womanly, I am proud of it, and 
I feel no shame in saying that my eyes became 
too dim to see the lake that day. Ashamed 
I am of my pettiness — ay, but not of my 
sorrow ! 

A lake breeze had chilled the air before I 
turned my steps that day, and by the time I 
reached home it was really cold and raw ; so it 
was comforting to see the glow of our library fire 
shine from out the window. Right cheerily it 
burned; and I hurried toward it with an eager 
feeling which I could scarcely explain to myself, 
for certainly I was not cold after my long, rapid 
walk. I saw Dolly, my household fairy, my 
cricket on the hearth, moving about the room 
in that way she had, so still and yet so buoyant. 
I have never seen any other woman who con- 
veyed just that impression of strength, affection, 
and good cheer, by her mere presence. Dolly 
was my ideal of the union of brightness, courage, 
and gentleness. Had I ever told her so ? No ! 
How many things we men forget to say, or think 
it not worth while, or perchance fancy will be 
taken for granted ! Do we fancy that our dis- 
pleasure will be taken for granted } No ! We 
never fail to speak of that. I was out of pa- 
tience with my clumsy, blundering sex that 
night, and I hurried forward with but one object 


246 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


in my mind, and that the opposite of the object 
with which I had left home. I am not an im- 
pulsive man, else I think I should have clasped 
my little woman in my arms as soon as she 
opened the door for me. Instead of that, I did 
not even speak, but hung up my hat in silence, 
and walking into the library took a seat before 
those cheery logs. Dolly must have seen by 
my face and manner that something was the 
matter, but she had learned by experience not 
to seem to notice my moods. Oh, how much 
managing we beasts require ! It is degrading to 
think of it ! I looked into the heart of the fire, 
trying to speak but failing every time, Dolly the 
while moving deftly about the room and setting 
everything in order. How many of her little 
touches went to make up the beauty of our 
home ! At last, as she was passing me, I 
reached out and took her hand. She turned 
instantly, and laying her other hand upon my 
head, said in her loving voice, — 

Dearie ! ” 

“Dolly,” I said, — and I think the word must 
have been almost a sob, — “ have I made you 
feel badly } Have you ever fancied I did n’t ap- 
preciate your efforts ; that I did. n’t think you 
did nobly for me } Dolly ! ” and Dolly bent 
over me, but what she said I cannot repeat. 
There are words too precious, too sacred for any 


HOMES, NOT HOUSES. 247 

hearer but the one to whom they are whispered ; 
there are scenes too holy for any painting. But 
I can say that as I sat before our library fire 
that night, with my wife’s hand in mine, I turned 
over a leaf in my book of life, and never will I 
re-turn it unless my manhood deserts me. 


248 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


CHAPTER XVI. 

SERVANTS* TABLES, WITH AN INTERRUPTION. 

A/TRS. HUGHES,” said the Imitation Mil- 

IVx lionnaire, when the ladies were assem- 
bled once more, “ I don’t think you have said 
anything about a servants’ table as yet. I sup- 
pose, of course, though, you don’t let them eat in 
the dining-room.” 

“ No, not at my own table ; but when I lived 
in a very small house, and before I felt able to 
buy a gasoline range, my kitchen was very hot 
in the summer, and I used to feel it was wrong 
to compel my servants to sit down and eat in 
such an atmosphere, so I had to let them lift 
their little table, after it was set, right into my 
dining-room, and eat there. I never could un- 
derstand how persons of refinement could allow 
servants to come right to their table and use the 
same table-cloth. On the other hand, I think 
that most servants have great cause to complain 
of the way they are served in this respect. If 
they eat in the kitchen, they rarely have a sepa- 
rate table for that purpose, and still more rarely 


SERVANTS^ TABLES. 


249 


have any suitable dishes. I have always taken 
great pains to furnish my servants’ table as 
completely as my own, though of course more 
plainly. I bought them table-cloths, napkins, 
knives and forks and spoons (which I required 
them to keep separate from the cooking utensils), 
spoonholder, vegetable-dishes, platter, carving 
knife and fork.” 

“ Did they make use of all these things ? ” 
asked a Silent Member, with a peculiar ex- 
pression of countenance. • 

“Yes, but not without some trouble on my 
part. I know what you mean ; and it is un- 
doubtedly true that servants will complain be- 
cause of the absence of some things which, when 
furnished, they will not take the trouble to use. 
But we must also look at this fact : if a servant 
has only a few hurried moments in which to eat 
her dinner, and is all tired out at that, and if her 
kitchen is filled with soiled dishes, she will nat- 
urally clear a little space on the nearest table, 
and eat a sort of picnic meal. So I found that, 
in addition to furnishing the outfit, I must fur- 
nish the time to use it properly. Matters in this 
respect moved but haltingly, until I had kept 
house two years. At that time I moved into 
another house and laid down some new rules. 
The immediate cause of these rules was, that I 
had been much annoyed by my servants eating 


250 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


little fancy dishes which I felt belonged only 
to the family. For instance, sometimes my 
husband would order a little cake and cream in 
the evening. The next day, at luncheon, he 
would ask for some of the cake, and when I 
made inquiry of the waitress, I would learn that 
it was all gone. Bananas they sometimes ate 
for breakfast ; in fact, it became almost impos- 
sible for me to keep any little dainty article of 
food in the house and have the benefit of it. 
So I determined to make a great change. We 
have dined at night almost all our married life, 
and so I set half-past twelve as the hour for 
the servants’ dinner. I gave Regular orders for 
this meal, always allowing them to choose the 
kind of meat, though I told them I did n’t really 
desire to have them select quail on toast. With 
this meat I always ordered two kinds of vege- 
tables, also consulting their taste in this re- 
spect. Then sometimes I provided some plain 
pickles, or buttermilk; and as they always had 
a nice soup for their first course, they had a good 
dinner. The hour for their breakfast was 
quarter before seven, and the main articles of 
their meal were oatmeal, coffee, bread and but- 
ter. This was varied occasionally by potatoes 
and eggs (cooked in different ways), and also 
by chipped beef, or some little hash, perhaps. 
Their supper was usually taken at half-past six. 


SERVANTS^ TABLES. 


251 


and was very simple; tea, baked apples or some 
plain jam, and bread and butter, being the usual 
bill of fare, though sometimes they had a bit of 
cheese or toast, — something a little different. 
For their Sunday dinner they always had a 
dessert, — some simple kind of pudding or pie. 
Our own hours for meals were half-past seven 
for breakfast, quarter-past one for luncheon, 
and six for dinner.” 

“ I don’t think my servants would put up with 
such an arrangement,” said the Imitation Mil- 
lionnaire. 

“ I had one girl who murmured a little, but 
only one. I always gave my reasons to them. 
I told them that instead of gathering up what 
was left from the family dinner, they had their 
separate dishes, could sit down and enjoy a 
quiet, undisturbed meal, lasting half an hour or 
more, and could have their food freshly cooked, 
and hot from the stove. As to the difference of 
the fare, I said that their appetites were more 
vigorous than ours, and their work being more 
physical than mental, they needed different 
nourishment. I assured them that if ever they 
suffered from any lack of good, plain, nicely- 
cooked food, it would be their fault, not mine, 
for I would provide them with every oppor- 
tunity to set a good, inviting table. As for 
the desserts and knick-knacks which we occa- 


252 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


sionally had, I told them they were mere luxu- 
ries, really unsuitable for their needs, and that 
if I must provide such things for my entire fam- 
ily, if for any, we should all have to go without, 
for they were too expensive to be eaten in quan- 
tities. My servants have not only submitted 
to this arrangement, but really enjoyed it much 
more.” 

How did you manage to give your nurse an 
uninterrupted dinner-time ? ” asked Dolly. 

“I could not always do this when my baby 
was very young, although I generally managed 
it so ; but as soon as the baby was a few months 
old we arranged to have his hour for a nap 
come at the nurse’s dinner-time.” 

“ How about the soups you spoke of ? ” asked 
a Silent Member. “ I remember you once said 
you always began your own dinner with soup 
for the first course.” 

“Yes ; I always had enough made at night to 
serve also for the servants’ dinner the next day. 
Anything of that kind was not injured by warm- 
ing over, and then in other respects it was fitted 
for such division. But most of the dishes were 
generally kept separate. For instance, I never 
furnished anything like chickens for the kitchen, 
except upon state occasions ; even our roasts and 
cutlets were kept for our own table. Generally 
the servants chose pork in some form, or liver. 


SERVANTS^ TABLES. 


253 


or sausage, all of which we never ate. And 
when they had a roast or chops it was kept just 
for their own table.” 

“ How did you manage, Mrs. Hughes, about 
dinner when your children went to school } 
We have to have our dinner at just your ser- 
vants’ hour, on their account,” said another 
Silent Member. 

My children are only beginning to go to 
school now, and they are nearly grown. But if 
I were forced to have my dinner at that time, I 
would still try to give my servants a separate 
hour and bill of fare, but of course it would be 
much more difficult to do so. We generally 
dined at half-past one or at two in the summer, 
until we had a gasoline range, because the stove 
heated the servants’ room to such a degree that 
it was uninhabitable for them at night if we had 
a fire in the kitchen in the afternoon. So if we 
had dinner at night during the hot weather it was 
all cold. I remember a month when I taxed my 
ingenuity each day to think of different dishes 
that were nice when served cold. There really 
are quite a number, — roast lamb with mint 
sauce, mutton, beef, veal loaf, jellied chicken, 
Saratoga potatoes, green peas boiled with mint 
(English-fashion), beets, lettuce, tomatoes, salads, 
and indeed many others. All these we prepared 
early in the day, and then we let the fire go out. 


254 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


But I never rested until I acquired two comforts 
for my servants, — a gasoline range and a 
dining-room.” 

“ A dining-room ! ” cried the Imitation Mil- 
lionnaire, forgetting her elegance and her 
manners. 

“ I should call it a sitting-room also, I sup- 
pose. I mean a room near the kitchen, in which 
the servants could have their meals, and in which 
they could sit when not working, and receive 
their company. I furnished this simply but 
prettily, — ingrain carpet, little pictures and 
ornaments on the walls, a few books on a shelf, 
a table, comfortable chairs of course, and a few 
flowers. If I were to speak of that room in a 
purely selfish way, I should call it an excellent 
investment ; but there is a higher view to be 
taken of life than the moneyed one, and there 
are purer motives than those which turn merely 
on selfish pivots. You may think I am a trifle 
foolish, but I assure you that when I had fin- 
ished fitting up that room I felt the warmth and 
sunshine of God’s smile on my heart. I let my 
servants help me in the work, — let them bring 
out their little treasures, their pictures of the 
home folks, their little fancy articles received 
on different Christmas-days ; and the delight 
they took in all this, and the eagerness with 
which they watched me and stood ready to be 


SERVANTS* TABLES. 255 

guided in matters of taste by my opinion, 
touched me deeply.” 

“ That was very nice, Mrs. Hughes ; but 
not everybody could afford to do so,” said the 
Practical Person. 

“ No, that is true ; but I think there are 
many who could afford it if they wished. At 
the time I fitted up that room I was far from 
rich. My house was of fair size, but was very 
plainly though prettily furnished. The only 
sofa in my parlor was a pine box I had uphol- 
stered myself, and other things were in keeping ; 
my dress was of the simplest — tasty, I hope, 
but very plain. In our home we had engravings, 
books, and little fancy articles I had made, and 
we thought it all very beautiful, and we were 
very, very happy ; but it was all extremely sim- 
ple. We never had a large family ; we did not 
think that was best, or even right. Three chil- 
dren are all we have ever had, and our youngest 
was not born until we were quite well established, 
so that even before we began to receive an income 
from my painting, we lived very comfortably, 
without undue anxiety, and I trust we were able 
to contribute our mite toward helping others.” 

“ I wonder, Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “ if 
you do not feel that that charity which should 
begin at home ought to do something such as 
you have described, for the servants.” 


256 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“Yes, I do. I cannot help believing that 
in God’s sight they are as worthy objects as 
any of those whom we take up in the outside 
world.” 

“ I suppose your servants had palatial bed- 
rooms,” said the Sprightly Lady. 

“ Hardly that, for I should not be likely to give 
them anything so much better than my own ; but 
they always had a comfortable, well-furnished, 
even pretty room, provided with closet, bureau, 
and a wash-stand furnished with toilet-set and 
foot-tub, — everything necessary for the keeping 
of their persons and clothes in order. I took 
great pains to see that this room was warm in 
winter and as cool as possible in summer. I 
once lived in a very cold climate, and I found 
that many respectable families, who doubtless 
called themselves Christian, furnished no heat 
for the servant’s bedroom, — that, too, when this 
room was her only place for sitting, excepting 
the kitchen. I have even known people to add 
parsimony to inhumanity, and begrudge their 
servants even the kitchen fire in the evening, 
expecting them to go to bed as soon as their 
work was ended. I have no words for such 
people ; but I confess that it is a satisfaction 
to me to believe that such treatment does not 
escape God’s notice.” 

“But, Mrs. Hughes,” objected the Practical 


SERVANTS^ TABLES. 


2S7 


Person, some girls are so common and rough, 
it does not seem worth while to try to do any- 
thing for them.” 

“ I know that is so with many ; and for that 
matter, most servants have very immature ideas 
on the subject of order and cleanliness ; but I 
think it is our duty to strive to improve them in 
this respect ; to surround them with comfortable, 
pretty furniture, and compel them to take care 
of it. Such training cannot fail to have a good 
moral effect. I have often heard people make 
remarks of this kind, when fitting up a servants’ 
room, ‘ Oh, I ’ll just get a husk mattress, it is 
good enough for those things!’ Women who 
take this low view of their servants will gener- 
ally have low servants to deal with.” 

“ Still, Mrs. Hughes,” persisted the Practical 
Person, “ I think it does not pay to treat all of 
these girls so well. Many of them are so un- 
grateful, that after you have done everything for 
them they will suddenly take offence and walk 
off and leave you in the lurch.” 

“ I hardly think they will, if the good treat- 
ment of which you speak has been judicious. 
I have rarely had that experience with them, 
and I have kept house for many years. But 
even if there is such a chance, I think we should 
disregard it. Surely we are high-minded enough 
to wish to do right by our servants, because it is 
17 


258 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


right, and not because they will repay us for 
good treatment.” 

“Alas! I fear everybody has not climbed to 
that high moral plane. I know I often feel as if 
I needed a friendly boost to help me up there,” 
said the Sprightly Lady. 

“ Possibly there are mistresses who need to be 
incited by the hope of reward, just as we have 
to incite children. Some years ago, one of my 
children disliked his bath, and cried over it. 
So I used to offer him some extra fruit with his 
breakfast if he would go through the trying 
ordeal without a murmur. I remember his ask- 
ing his nurse one morning what he was to have 
for that breakfast if he did n't cry. And she 
answered that he must be good anyhow, and 
not just because he was going to get something. 
I was much pleased that she took such a view 
of the case; nevertheless, I told her that the 
moral sense in little children was very weak, 
and that we first had to incite them to good 
conduct by making such conduct profitable to 
them ; then when they were older grown, and 
stronger morally, we could appeal to higher 
motives.” 

“That reminds me,” said Dolly, “of an arti- 
cle I lately read in the ‘ North American Re- 
view.’ It was entitled ‘ Practical Penology,’ and 
it strongly advocated dealing with criminals as 


SERVANTS' TABLES. 


259 


you dealt with your children, — letting them see 
that it paid to be good, and that suffering inevita- 
bly follows wrong-doing. This article described 
the Folsom State Prison, in California, in which 
the worst behaved and the least industrious 
prisoners are fed at the worst table, and those 
who are more correct and industrious fare better 
as regards what they have to eat, — the best 
table being occupied by the best men. In dis- 
missing a man, when his term of imprisonment 
has expired, the warden impresses on his mind 
the fact that the outer world is much like the 
prison; certain comforts and privileges in life 
being reserved for those who work and obey the 
laws.” 

** Such a system, I think, would result much 
better,” said Mrs. Hughes, “than any attempt 
to use merely moral motives with those who are 
as ignorant as most prisoners are. The moral 
need not be wholly omitted, it seems to me, but 
it should be driven home by the practical motive. 
For those mistresses who have not yet attained 
the moral strength necessary to doing right by 
their servants, whether they are rewarded or 
not, I would like to say that my own experience 
and the experience of many others proves that 
in the long run kind and judicious treatment of 
servants pays excellently well. And certainly 
we are in need of some paying investments of 


26 o 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


this kind. When I look abroad over our land 
and see the wide-spread trouble that mistresses 
are having with their service, I feel that it is 
time we took the matter in hand. I am filled 
with grief when I think of the great and disas- 
trous effect this trouble has upon our women — 
our nation. Some ten years ago a friend of 
mine went to England to fill an important edu- 
cational position, and she wrote me of the re- 
markable difference in that intelligence which 
comes from reading, from keeping posted on the 
topics of the day, which she noticed between the 
English and American woman ; and this differ- 
ence she attributed mainly to the comparative per- 
manency of service in England. No doubt it has 
a great effect. Reading, study, thought, all must 
have quiet of mind and body; they fly before con- 
fusion, haste, or excitement. Now, such quiet is 
impossible to a housekeeper whose time is liable 
to be broken up, and her entire household ar- 
rangements upset, every little while, by the loss 
of one servant and the training of another. I 
apprehend we would have better and more intelli- 
gent mothers, and consequently a finer race, but 
for these servant troubles. The question, then, 
is by no means unimportant, since great issues 
are dependent upon its successful solving. Nor 
do I consider that solving a hopeless task, by 
any means. I am more and more convinced 


SERVAiVTS^ TABLES. 


261 


that the main fault, in this trouble, lies at the 
mistress’s door, and the main remedy in her 
hands. Let us reform ourselves, and we shall 
find that we have gone more than half-way 
toward reforming our servants.” 

Just at this point one of our maids appeared 
at the parlor door, but before she had time 
to speak, the Pale Lady’s little boy burst into 
the room, and running to his mother, sobbed 
out, — 

“ Mamma ! mamma ! come home ! Papa ’s so 
sick ! ” 

There was a slight change on the Pale Lady’s 
face, as she instantly rose to go with the child. 
She could not well turn any paler than she was 
already ; it was not that I noticed, but an ex- 
pression of self-control, of strength, and even of 
support, that I had never seen her wear before. 
Dolly immediately offered to accompany her, 
and somewhat to my surprise the offer was 
accepted. All the other ladies rose as these 
two left, and after a few quiet words dispersed. 

I took a book and endeavored to pass the 
time until Dolly’s return, but I found myself 
unable to fix my mind upon what I read. I 
confess that the Pale Lady had taken a strong 
hold upon my interest and sympathies, and at 
this critical juncture I was busy with specula- 
tions as to what particular experience she was 


262 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


about to pass through. That this would in some 
way prove a turn in her lane, I felt confident. 

It was over an hour before Dolly appeared, 
and for a short time after coming into the house 
she was unable to tell me anything, so deeply 
moved was she by what she had seen. At last 
I asked the question I was really eager to have- 
answered, — 

“ Is he very ill } ” 

“Yes,” she said, “he is very ill; but. Griff,” 
she added with a sob, “ they love each other, — 
they really do.” 

That last might not have seemed strange to 
many hearers, referring as it did to husband and 
wife ; but I confess it astonished me, and still 
more, I confess that I felt some inward doubt 
about it until Dolly had sufficiently recovered 
herself to say more. 

The poor man, she told me, was completely 
broken down ; she never saw any one more so. 
For a long time, it appeared, he had been toil- 
ing hard in his business, under a great pressure 
of anxiety, and now, just as he began to see 
the dawn, he had given way. He had been 
found by a business friend lying insensible on 
the floor of his office, and so carried home. 
Dolly said that when she and the Pale Lady 
went into the house he was on the sofa, at- 
tended by one of the gentlemen who had rode 


SERVANTS^ TABLES. 


263 


home with him. His wife crossed the room 
quickly and softly, and knelt beside him ; and 
Dolly’s sobs broke forth again as she told me 
how feebly and pitifully he held out his arms 
to her and said, — 

“ Millie ! Millie ! I ’m done for now! I shall 
always be a burden to you I ” 

And then they learned that his lower limbs 
were both paralyzed. 

Dolly told me how the wife soothed and 
comforted him. 

You will scarcely credit me. Griff, but if you 
could have seen her face, — if you could have 
seen them both, — you would have known they 
loved each other. I crept out of the room, for 
I felt I had no right to stay.” 

I think that few things in my life have ever 
impressed so forcibly upon my mind the strength 
of the tie that binds husband and wife, as what 
Dolly told me that day. These two in by-gone 
years had doubtless rejoiced together over that 
first cry, that wonderful cry, that thrills the very 
soul and tells a young father and mother that 
they — have a little child ; these two had 
sobbed together over a tiny coffin, had watched 
together through solemn, awful night-hours, be- 
side a life that was passing out of this world 
into the next ; these two were joined by that 
holy bond of a grief which God alone could fully 


264 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


share. And though the years had dragged on, 
and coldness and petulance had divided them, 
these things lay deep in their hearts, and the 
hour of calamity had proved a resurrection-day. 

Dolly had lingered about the house some 
time, although, as she told me, there was not 
much for her to do just then. I felt sure, how- 
ever, that she had done much, nevertheless, — 
soothing the children, doubtless, reassuring the 
servants, and setting in motion the household 
machinery that had been checked by the mas- 
ter’s fall. The doctor had arrived shortly after 
the Pale Lady’s return, and had assisted to 
move the sick man to his room ; but Dolly had 
left him there, and did not know as yet what he 
thought of his patient’s condition. That it was 
very serious, any one could see ; and as to the 
end, no one could foretell that with certainty. 

“Dolly,” I said, — for my mind was now re- 
volving practical questions, — “ have you any 
idea of the condition there financially } ” 

“Not the least; but Mrs. Hughes is over 
there now, and if there is anything of that kind 
to be spoken of she will know just how to deal 
with it.” 

I learned afterward that this subject was not 
touched upon that night, but that, won by Mrs. 
Hughes’s gentle sympathy and understanding, 
the Pale Lady talked quite freely the next day. 


SERVANTS' TABLES, 


265 


and said they had every prospect of compara- 
tive comfort regarding money matters in the 
fall, but that during the summer her husband’s 
earnings from month to month were their sole 
reliance. During his illrfess a little something 
would still come to them from the office; but 
it would be too small a sum for their support, 
and she must in some way add to the income. 

For several days Dolly and Mrs. Hughes were 
in almost constant consultation, and I had the 
honor to be frequently called upon by them. 
Meanwhile the sick man’s condition underwent 
but little change. It was impossible, the doctor 
said, to foretell the end. The nervous system 
had been greatly overtaxed, and for this reason 
health, if it ever returned, would come very 
slowly. For the present there was much, 
though not immediate, danger of death. To 
rebuild the system was necessary, and one of 
the first essentials was perfect quiet of mind 
and body. The latter was easily enough ob- 
tained, but the former was a more difficult mat- 
ter ; for although the sick man was most of 
the time in a semi-unconscious state, there 
were hours when his mind was quite clear, and 
then he was disposed to worry over his help- 
less condition and over his wife’s pecuniary 
strait. So we all felt that something must be 
done at once to set his mind at ease. It puz- 


266 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


zled me, I must confess, to try to think of some 
way in which the Pale Lady could earn money. 
It would in no wise have relieved her husband or 
herself to give them anything ; on the contrary, 
that would only have* added to their distress. 
The Sprightly Lady had joined our counsels, 
and it was she and Dolly who helped us out of 
this dilemma at last. 

“ She can sew ! ” Dolly exclaimed one day ; 
“she is a beautiful seamstress; she can give 
sewing-lessons. We ’ll get her up a class.” 

“ And she can dance, too ! ” exclaimed the 
Sprightly Lady. “It seems like a poor time 
for dancing, I know, but she can dance to good 
effect. We ’ll get her up a dancing-class, — she 
can have both.” 

It did seem a little inappropriate at first, but 
we all remembered that the Pale Lady had been 
a beautiful dancer in her youth, that she was 
remarkably graceful now ; and even if, in her 
sad married life, she had forgotten much of this 
art, she could easily recall it. For several days 
Dolly, Mrs. Hughes, and the Sprightly Lady did 
little else than drive around — not together, but 
separately — in search of pupils for the Pale Lady. 
They were aided in their efforts by all the mem- 
bers of the Club, and indeed some others, — for 
a few of my gentleman friends and myself did 
what little we could. Of course they first made 


SERVANTS' TABLES. 


267 


known their plans to the Pale Lady herself, and 
she gave a ready and grateful consent to teach 
the classes if they were formed. At the end of 
a week the ladies had the pleasure of announcing 
to her that two classes, one of twenty-six and 
another of twenty-eight pupils, were ready for 
her. Her income from these would be some- 
thing over thirty-five dollars a week, which 
would place her beyond all occasion for anx- 
iety ; and although she would have to give up 
four mornings every week to the work, she 
could, with good servants, she said, so manage 
as to spare the time without much trouble. She 
was further relieved by having her three little 
children taken by friends who would care for 
them tenderly. Dolly brought one to our home, 
and Mrs. Hughes wished to take the other two ; 
but the Sprightly Lady insisted upon dividing 
this pleasure with her. Every day they were 
taken to see their mother ; and although she 
doubtless missed them sorely, their absence 
must have been a great relief in some ways, 
since it lessened her cares, and enabled her to 
maintain throughout the house the perfect quiet 
their father needed. Of course she went out to 
her classes, — one of them meeting at Mrs. 
Hughes’s, and the other at the house of another 
friend whose parlors were large. I really think 
these classes were of great benefit to the Pale 


268 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


Lady in other than a financial sense ; they 
seemed to rouse her interest, her spirit, — in a 
manner to renew her youth. She was indeed a 
beautiful seamstress. It is a pity that all ladies 
are not the same, for nice sewing is such a re- 
fined, ladylike accomplishment. The pupils were 
taught not how to embroider with Arecene and 
Kensington stitch, — many of them knew that 
already, — but how to hem daintily, fell exquis- 
itely, and darn so that the rent became almost 
an ornament. 

With her other class, too, the Pale Lady suc- 
ceeded entirely. Of course many new steps and 
dances had been introduced since her youth, but 
it cost her no effort to learn all these, for dancing 
was as natural to her as breathing. 

I never knew what her husband said with 
regard to her taking the support of the family 
upon herself; it was, of course, contrary to his 
old ideas and theories for a woman to be self- 
reliant ; but I have the belief and the hope that 
many of those old ideas and theories were shat- 
tered the day he fell so heavily on his office 
floor. Life is a queer thing : it has ways of 
convincing a man, and it has ways of ridding 
him of a belief. 

It was manifest to all who entered the Pale 
Lady’s house, that a great change had taken 
place in its management in the last three 


SERVANTS' TABLES. 


269 


months ; and I think Dolly was fully justified 
in attributing this change to the influence of 
the Club. 

Griff,” she said, one day after we had been 
talking of the sick man, it seems a little strange 
to think how he is now taking the benefit of 
what he not only never aided but would have 
done his utmost to defeat, had he known of it. 
But I suppose we all do more or less of that, — 
receive benefit from what we have never helped 
along.” 

“Yes, I suppose so, though the thought is 
humiliating. Many do that in religion, — throw 
ridicule upon it at the same time they are 
greedily living on its benefits. It 's pretty 
small, is it not t We are like children, — too 
ignorant to know what ’s for our best good ; 
and we sometimes put out the fire that would 
have warmed us, because we fancy it is needless 
or dangerous.” 


2/0 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 

HE Club missed its meeting one week, 



• 1 - because the more prominent members 
were fully occupied with their efforts to help 
the Pale Lady through her trouble. But the 
next week it met as usual, and to every one’s 
surprise the Pale Lady herself was present. 

These discussions have done so much for 
me,” she said quietly, “ I could n’t forego 
them ; and then,” she added with a deep flush 
of pleasure, — the first flush I had seen on her 
face for years, — “ my husband urged me to 
come.” 

As the ladies were chatting a little on various 
subjects preparatory to the opening of the 
meeting, I was thinking of Mrs. Hughes’s last 
week’s work. Some had been so blind and 
ignorant as to call her selfish and cynical, be- 
cause she spoke against the fashion of making 
and receiving calls, as was common among 
ladies, and refused to indulge in it herself. But 
all who were really acquainted with her were 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


271 


well aware of the fact that the moment she 
knew of any persons in trouble she was by their 
side if possible. She seemed to look upon the 
aid she gave as the most simple, natural thing 
in the world. 

“We are all members of the human family,” 
she often said, “ and if our brothers or sisters 
need us, ought we not to rally round them?” 

“ Mrs. Hughes,” said the Practical Person, 
when the Club was called to order, “ I wish you 
would please make it clearer to us how you 
have managed to find time for so many different 
things.” 

“ One reason is, I think, that I have simplified 
life as much as possible. As the world grows 
in size and knowledge, work is both diminished 
and increased ; much of this increase we can- 
not avoid, but there is much more that we can. 
Life is too complex, and we must simplify it. 
I simplified my table, concentrating my chief 
efforts upon one meal ; then I simplified my 
dress and that of my children; simplified my 
social duties and pleasures ; simplified the care 
of my children, training them to give as little 
trouble as possible ; and, as I told you once, 
I heartily believe in simplifying the cares of 
motherhood, — that is, by having fewer children. 
Is it not better, far better, and nearer the right, 
to bring but few children into the world, and to 


2/2 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


give to those few a good constitution, and that 
training and education which shall make of them 
splendid men and women, and at the same 
time preserve one’s own health and be able 
up to the last to guide and aid these children, 
rather than to have a large family, some of 
them feeble, and all more or less lacking in men- 
tal and moral training and advantages, and end 
by being a physical and nervous wreck one’s 
self ? I know not what view you take of God, 
but to me he is our Father, — wise, and just, 
and kind ; and I am sure he never intended any 
such condition of affairs as now exists, and I 
am equally sure that in process of time such 
purification of life and character will take place, 
that this condition will be supplanted by one 
far nobler and better. When I hear any woman 
talk of the inevitable^ and of what we must ex- 
pect, being women, and of this being our lot, 
and we born to it, and so on, I feel that she has 
gotten behind her age instead of ahead of it, 
and is using what little strength she possesses 
to drag it back to where she stands. 

‘‘We all know that life may be made very 
different in the hands of two different people. 
I have some dear friends who, albeit they pos- 
sess fine characteristics, have, as it seems to me, a 
most mistaken idea of proper living ; for they are 
rushed along so fast with their charities and their 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


273 


social duties that they have scarcely a chance 
to breathe, much less to think. Their constitu- 
tions are overstrained ; they are constantly more 
or less tired, even jaded, and so are those of 
their household who try to join them in their 
toils, while others of the family are, owing to 
their different natures and tastes, repelled, and 
so perhaps go to the other extreme and do not 
give their share of aid. Such lives are most 
unfortunate, it seems to me, for they do violence 
to the physical being, and utterly destroy that 
peace and quiet which is the only proper at- 
mosphere for a home, — the only atmosphere 
in which children can be properly reared and 
equipped for life. But you can do nothing 
with such people; they mean well and think 
they are doing right, and their many estimable 
traits win your respect in spite of their mistakes. 
You can only regret that the energies which 
would accomplish so much if properly directed 
should be so perverted. If you attempt to 
talk to them, they will perhaps speak of the 
pressure, the intensity of the age ; will say that 
this must act on all those who are in their 
proper place in the rank and file of battle ; and 
then, perhaps, with talk of drones and sponges, 
they will hurl back your well-meant words 
against yourself. Such people can scarcely 
realize that ‘they also serve who only stand 
18 


274 the biddy club. 

and wait ; ’ still less can they realize that those 
who quietly and steadily pursue a systematic, 
well-thought-out course in life, will probably in 
the end accomplish more good without as well 
as within the family circle than those who run 
through life at such high rate of speed. There 
is a chapter in that inspiring little book called 
‘ Our Country,’ on intemperance, in which the 
increase of this vice is — very properly, it seems 
to me — connected with the increased nervous- 
ness of our people, and this nervousness is 
» attributed partly to our hurried mode of life. I 
am sorry the writer did not go further and urge 
those who are opposed to intemperance to use 
their influence against this rapid way of living. 
I think that although some will disagree with 
my conclusions, yet all will concede that this 
subject is of sufficient importance to demand 
our earnest consideration.” 

“ Don’t you think, Mrs. Hughes,” said the 
Practical Person, “ that it is important to 
be systematic if one wishes to accomplish 
much?” 

“ Very important, even necessary; but I think 
that when one is leading such a life as I have 
spoken of, a system is really out of the question. 
When our lives are harmonious, when, like a 
choice conversation, they become a fine selection, 
they will naturally fall into a well-ordered sys- 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE, 


275 


tern. No system can or should be iron-bound; 
it must be more or less flexible to be of aid ; but 
although changed sometimes, and occasionally 
abolished for a brief space, yet it should exist 
none the less. We have heard of students who 
drop the history right in the middle of a sen- 
tence, if perchance the history hour expires just 
then. But no one would hold up to ridicule 
those men and women who so judiciously ar- 
range their employments that there is no rush 
and no waste. A housekeeper’s plan of work 
should include many margins. She will find 
that, if she arranges to have a certain task 
ended and another begun at any particular 
hour, and struggles to carry this out, she will 
keep herself and her household in a temper 
the reverse of angelic. Leave plenty of time 
for incidentals, and you will generally come 
out even.” 

” But, Mrs. Hughes,” urged the Practical Per- 
son, “ I think this is impossible, unless one has 
enough help to do the work.” 

“ Certainly; it is just as impossible as it is to 
keep a house in order if one has no places to put 
various articles. But many people who have 
servants are so lacking in system that they do 
not properly arrange and order the work, and 
it is always behind. The consciousness of being 
in arrears is more fatiguing than the work itself. 


276 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Some people have by nature more of this 
quality — this capacity for arrangement, coupled 
with executive ability — than others ; but I think 
that even those who are lacking could cultivate 
something of it. Without it they can never be 
successful housekeepers ; indeed, they cannot 
live successfully. I know a lady who has but 
one child and boards, who often laments her 
lack of time, and says she cannot conceive where 
it goes. But her conclusion always is that those 
people who have more duties than she, and yet 
enjoy more leisure, must neglect something. 
Of course, such a conclusion is very comforting 
to herself, but it is nevertheless erroneous. The 
reason for such difference is her lack of good 
management. She wastes time. I know that 
she performs her few duties no more faithfully 
than some other friends of mine perform their 
many. She squanders her capital — time — or 
lets it run to waste ; the others invest it judi- 
ciously. If, instead of trying to justify herself, 
she would conclude that she must be in the 
wrong, and conscientiously try to find the reme- 
dy, the result would be a great improvement in 
her own life and that of her child. No mother 
can teach that most important art, the proper 
management of time, unless she herself prac- 
tises it. 

I once visited in a household where there was 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


277 


never time for anything, and by observing I 
soon discovered many reasons for this. One 
was the multiplicity of occupations ; another the 
great amount, not of conversation, but of talk- 
ing, that was done. Two or three members of 
the family would undertake together to perform 
some little piece of work to which one could 
have attended without difficulty, and over this 
there would be perhaps half an hour wasted 
in chattering. Now, some people may raise 
shocked hands, and say that Mrs. Hughes is 
even opposed to family conversation. I don’t 
think that I am ; but most of the talk that takes 
place as I have described is mere chatter, use- 
less to say the least, and some of it worse than 
useless. Of course people will continue to so 
pass their time if they wish ; but they should not 
be surprised if, at the close of their day, they 
can look with no satisfaction upon what they have 
accomplished. I also know of a family of great 
culture and warm affections, where the custom is 
for the various members to meet at the table 
for a meal, and then disperse for a time in 
order to engage in different occupations. Much 
of the day they are as separate as if they were 
out of the house. When they meet, they have 
delightful social times.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes,” said the Sprightly Lady, I 
have heard some say that the trouble with 


0 


2/8 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Carlyle was that he was around too much. You 
evidently think that some women are around 
too much also.” 

“ Yes, I do. The various members of a fam- 
ily not only waste a great deal of time, but they 
also see too much of each other. I think that 
family intercourse would be more interesting, as 
well as more valuable, if it were freshened, not 
only by reading and thought, but also by ab- 
stinence. I would not have people get in the 
habit of maintaining a gloomy silence when 
together, — few things are more depressing than 
that, — but I would have them together less 
frequently ; or, if the size of the house did not 
admit of separation, I would enjoin upon them 
such active, healthful occupations as would pre- 
clude this idle chatter, without giving any im- 
pression of gloom. Then, when their duties 
were ended, or when they sat at table, I would 
have every member of the household do his 
best to add to the general interest and happi- 
ness. This certainly does not mean making a 
great noise, or talking everybody else down. 
If each is ready to take his turn as talker and 
listener, and, above all, to show an interest — 
an unselfish interest — in whatever is advanced 
for common entertainment, he will find his re- 
ward in the happiness of such family meetings. 
Such a household as I have in mind is most de- 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE, 279 

lightful, but impossible, I think, for any mother 
save one of rare qualities.” 

Do you think it is possible, Mrs. Hughes,” 
asked one of the Silent Members, “ for a woman to 
direct work that she herself does not understand ? ” 

“Yes; I know of a case where a woman is 
an excellent housekeeper, albeit she never 
cooked a dish or did any other housework in 
her life. She possesses wonderful executive 
ability and wonderful power of control over 
others. I do not think her servants are apt 
to love her, but they certainly obey her. I 
cannot help believing, however, that more 
knowledge would improve her, for it does not 
seem possible that she can rightly sympathize 
with and understand her servants, when she 
knows so little of their toils. Certainly it would 
be unsafe to recommend her ignorance to wo- 
men in general ; for, not possessing her peculiar 
powers, they might simply succeed in copying 
her defects.” 

“ Mrs. Hughes,” said Dolly, “ I have noticed 
that you continually lay emphasis upon a mis- 
tress’s understanding her servants’ work, and 
sympathizing with their exertions.” 

“ I think we cannot too often emphasize that 
point. I know I derive benefit in dealing with 
my servants by frequently letting my mind dwell 
upon the hardships of their life. This thought 


28 o 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


should not incline one to foolish indulgence, but 
it should temper severity, and should have a 
strong influence over us, — inducing us to mingle 
kindness with justice when we deal with them.” 

‘^By the way, Mrs. Hughes,” said the Spright- 
ly Lady, “ a friend of mine remarked the other 
day that she did not believe there were ten ladies 
in this city who knew how to be kind to their 
servants without being familiar with them. I 
felt that some one ought to fight her on behalf 
of the city. I suppose the Mayor is the proper 
person to call her out.” 

“ I am afraid there is some truth in her state- 
ment, although I hope her figures are too small. 
But there is really little to be said on this theme. 
A peculiar mingling of gentleness, kindness, and 
dignity belongs to the true lady, and it is as in- 
describable as inimitable. If one is not to such 
manner born, she can never possess it, for it is 
not to be acquired. But to return to the hard- 
ships of a servant’s life. Some time ago I was 
reading in an English magazine an article on 
butchers and their bills. The complaints of 
many people about the high price of meat were 
mentioned, and readers were reminded that it 
was impossible for butchers to buy in larger 
quantities than their present needs justified, and 
store away, as could other tradespeople, and so 
they had to buy for the day, as it were, and 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


281 


gain or lose according to the chances of sale ; 
and buying so, they had to pay a larger price 
for their stock. But the point in the article that 
reminded me of the servant question was this : 
The distasteful features of the butcher’s trade 
were dwelt upon, and the statement made that 
there were fewer applications for apprenticeship 
to this business than to any other equally promi- 
nent. I immediately thought of our kitchens, — 
our greasy dishes and soiled clothes ; I thought 
of the summer’s heat and the winter’s cold. In 
my mind some sharp contrasts arose : the mis- 
tress on the gallery, of a hot day, and the maid 
over the cook-stove; the family abed and asleep, 
of a cold winter morning, and the maid trying, 
with benumbed hands and feet, to start the fires 
and get the breakfast; and as figures in this 
picture, I saw my servants with their heated, 
tired faces, just as I have seen them many a 
time. And thinking of all this, I assure you I 
did n’t begrudge them any of their pleasures, 
but rather cast about in my mind to try to dis- 
cover ways and means of still further lightening 
their toil and increasing their comforts. It 
would be well for us mistresses to bear in mind 
these lines from ‘ Henry VI.’ : — 

* Thus are poor servitors, 

When others sleep upon their quiet beds. 

Constrain’d to watch in darkness, rain, and cold.’ ” 


282 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


“ Mrs. Hughes,” said one of the Silent Mem- 
bers, “ what do you think when the lady of 
the house is obliged to do all this work and 
to perform the duties of wife and mother in 
addition?” 

“ To begin with, I can say that I don’t think 
she can perform the latter if she has the former 
on her hands, unless her family is very small. 
But I have already expressed myself upon this 
point so often, that I fear any words I speak 
now will only seem to be a repetition ; then, 
too, I feel so strongly upon the subject that I 
am fearful of speaking with undue heat. To 
sum it all up, as it were, I earnestly pity such 
women, and think that most of them married 
too soon, instead of waiting until the income 
justified at least a tolerable mode of existence. 
I think, too, that in the majority of such fami- 
lies there are far too many children. I have 
often heard people deplore the fact that some 
of these poor household drudges are without 
daughters; but, right or wrong, I cannot help 
feeling a certain pleasure when I see there 
is no daughter in such a household. I feel 
that to a certain extent, perhaps only a very 
limited extent, the mother is responsible for 
the conditions of her life, and I cannot help 
rejoicing that there is no young girl there to 
choose one of three things, — to be an unnatural 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


283 


daughter and refuse to bear her part ; to have 
her young life worn out by the same spiritless, 
ceaseless drudgery; or to marry into similar 
evils, probably. I trust you will understand 
that I am not referring to any reasonable 
amount of housework, but to overwork, — work 
in those households where the supply never 
equals the demand ; where the work is always 
in advance of the worker, and one must con- 
tinually toil along with no prospect or hope of 
really getting through. There are many such 
households, but there ought to be very few. 
For my part, I can think of but one reason that 
can justify such a condition of affairs, and that 
is some long-continued ill-health or calamity 
which deprives the parents of an income which 
has been sufficient to justify them in having 
a family of children. Of course, under such 
changed circumstances there would have to be 
an entire change in the mode of life.” 

“ I have two children,” said the Sprightly 
Lady, with a penitent air, “ but now I think of 
it, I am not sure that my income justifies more 
than one. Would any of you be so kind as to 
buy Tommy, and take him off my hands ? ” she 
added, looking around with a comical air of 
earnestness. 

One of the Silent Members, who had no chil- 
dren, readily offered to take the small Thomas. 


284 


THE BIDDY CLUB, 


I ’ll consult Billy about the price, and let 
you know,” said the Sprightly Lady. And 
now that this painful matter is disposed of, will 
you please tell me, Mrs. Hughes, something 
about gasoline ranges; do you think they are 
safe ? ” 

“ I have found them so. I have used several 
different makes, and have had one in my house 
now for some years, and I have never had an 
accident. Of course I explain the danger to 
my servants, and caution them to be very care- 
ful. Kerosene is dangerous, yet many people 
trust their servants to handle it ; and although 
we occasionally hear of a fearful accident, such 
things are rare, considering the amount of oil 
used. In truth, fire is a most dangerous ele- 
ment, but we have to trust our servants with 
that. To prevent accidents, we must teach 
them the danger of carelessness. I should be 
sorry indeed to give up my gasoline range, and 
so would my cook. For two years, now, I have 
used one in winter as well as summer.” 

“ How do you heat your kitchen?” asked the 
Practical Person. 

“ I have a base-burner furnace-stove in the 
servants’ hall, as I call their dining and sitting- 
room, and this heats the kitchen nicely, and by 
means of a drum, and two hot-air pipes, also 
heats a bath-room and both of the servants’ 


SIMPLIFYING LIFE. 


285 


rooms equally well. It costs no more to run 
this stove than it would cost to run a coal 
range, and it adds much to the servants’ com- 
fort. These five rooms are warm both night 
and day. The gasoline range stands in the 
kitchen, and is only lighted when needed. It 
is not nearly as expensive as a coal range, as we 
buy the gasoline by the barrel (which, by the 
way, we keep in a little shed separate from the 
house), and it dispenses with all the trouble and 
dirt of fuel. But,” she added, glancing at her 
watch, “ I see it is time to extinguish my con- 
versation, as well as my range.” 

“Turn but both gases,” whispered the 
Sprightly Lady, less elegantly but more briefly. 


286 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

ONE THING AT A TIME. 

I HAVE so far made but slight mention of a 
little change that took place in the conduct 
of the Club soon after its establishment. At 
first the conversation was more general, Mrs. 
Hughes bearing not much more than her pro- 
portion ; but as the interest deepened, and the 
topics increased in importance, it became the 
wish of the ladies to have Mrs. Hughes, who 
was older and more experienced than the 
others, deliver a series of short lectures on sub- 
jects connected with the servant question, these 
subjects being chosen by the various members 
of the Club ; each lady feeling at liberty to in- 
terrupt at her pleasure, and make such com- 
ments or ask such questions as she desired. 
Mrs. Hughes, who was quite ready to do any- 
thing that all the rest thought would contribute 
to the interest and success of the Club, assented 
to this plan, only asking that the ladies would 
hand her, at their next meeting, a list of topics 
upon which they wished her to speak during 


ONE THING AT A TIME. 


287 


the coming weeks, such list being, of course, 
subject to additions from time to time. A few 
weeks previous to the meeting of which I am 
now writing, Mrs. Hughes suggested that the 
ladies should hand in no new topics, unless they 
had some in mind with which they were par- 
ticularly anxious to have the Club deal, as she 
already had on hand almost a sufficient number- 
to occupy attention until the time for the sum- 
mer vacation. 

“ At our last meeting,” said Mrs. Hughes, 
when the ladies were ready for the business of 
the day, “ I was asked to tell what means I had 
used for making the most of my time. I would 
like to-day, with the ladies’ permission, to speak 
of a point which is closely connected with that 
subject; and that is, concentration of thought 
and aim. As I said before, I used to set apart 
a certain time for the active supervision of my 
house, another tirrie for my studies, and so on ; 
and I am certain that I derived great benefit 
from putting my entire mind upon whatever 
work or pleasure I undertook. If I was paint- 
ing, I thought only about that, letting all else 
go ; when it was time to drop the painting and 
take up the household, I turned my undivided 
attention to bills of fare, orders of supplies, 
or whatever branch of housekeeping I had at 
that moment in charge, never giving my paint- 


288 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


ing even the fraction of a thought. I believe 
that many people weaken their brains by dis- 
traction of mind. Even little children should 
be taught to work while they work and play 
while they play.” 

“ Don’t you think that power of concentration 
is a natural gift? ” asked the Practical Person. 

“ Sometimes,” answered Mrs. Hughes ; “ but 
it is very susceptible to cultivation and neglect. 
I think I probably possessed something of this 
power in the beginning, but I have always had 
to cultivate it also. This culture used to be very 
difficult, and even now it is not always easy; 
but I am continually conscious of its benefits. 
I have often left my studio, after struggling with 
the conception of a piece, feeling very tired, 
and have gone to my nursery, and giving my- 
self entirely up to my children for half an hour, 
have returned to the studio quite refreshed. In 
the same way I have often dropped some worry- 
ing household cares and gone out for a brisk 
w'alk, thinking the while upon something else, 
and returned with new zest to the knotty ques- 
tions. If any one were to ask me what I con- 
sidered one of the most important recipes for 
preserving youth and health, I would say, break- 
ing the tension frequently, snapping it off short. 
You will understand, of course, that I do not 
advocate running from one thing to another 


ONE THING AT A TIME. 289 

every five minutes. The length of time in which 
one is able to dwell, without change, upon any 
particular subject, or engage in any particular 
toil, varies much with different individuals ; but 
no one is so strong, mentally and nervously, as 
to be able ardently to pursue any especial occu- 
pation for hours, and to carry it into his relaxa- 
tions, without suffering much injury sooner or 
later, not to mention the loss sustained by the 
occupation itself from this too long-continued 
labor.” 

“ Since we are recurring to past themes, Mrs. 
Hughes,” said the Practical Person, “will you 
please say something more of what you think 
about the policy of treating servants well?” 

“ I confess that this theme is distasteful to 
me, for it involves so much selfishness and so 
little nobility ; but as this is, in some of its as- 
pects, a selfish world, we must face even such 
questions. I would most heartily say that, as 
far as policy is concerned, kindness to servants 
pays exceeding well.” 

“ Some of my experiences would go to con- 
tradict that theory, Mrs. Hughes,” said the 
Imitation Lady. “ I am sure I Ve been as kind 
as I could be to some girls who have treated 
me shamefully afterward.” 

“ That is a deplorable experience which most 
of us have had at some time or other, doubtless ; 

19 


290 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


but we must draw our conclusions from the 
general average of cases, rather than from iso- 
lated instances.” 

“ I think I can testify on Mrs. Hughes’s side,” 
said one of those ladies who seldom spoke. “ I 
have sometimes had the most touching returns 
from my servants for kindness. We Ve been 
ill a great deal at our house, and my servants 
have always stood by me. Last spring, while I 
was sick in bed, two of my children were taken 
with scarlet fever. My husband told the ser- 
vants that there was great danger of contagion, 
and that they might leave if they wished. They 
made him no answer, — they are quiet girls, — 
but turned and went on with their work. We 
were cut off from everybody and could get no 
outside help, so their tasks were very heavy. 
In addition to all the rest of her work, my nurse 
took her regular watches and cared for my sick 
little girls.” 

“ It is wonderful she did n’t catch the fever,” 
said the Practical Person. 

“ She did,” said the lady. “ If she had died 
I think it would have almost killed me. We 
took care of her, of course, and fortunately she 
had it lightly. I shall never forget what she 
did for me, nor the other girl’s service, either ; 
one treasures such things.” 

‘‘Yes,” said Mrs. Hughes, “they hallow life 


ONE THING AT A TIME, 


291 


and keep the heart tender. I have no doubt 
that all mistresses have at times been touched 
by the gratitude of their servants, and indeed I 
have known of many instances where these 
ignorant girls have treated a thoughtless and 
really unkind mistress with a magnanimity that 
should have shamed her. Whenever I have 
been ill I have leaned upon my servants, and 
they have never given way. Once, during my 
own illness, one of my children was made sick 
by the neglect of a servant. To be sure, it 
was the neglect of a duty which, when I was 
well, belonged to me and not to her; but I called 
her to my room and talked with her seriously 
about it. I reminded her of the efforts I had 
always made in her behalf, and told her that 
now I was quite helpless and needed her kind- 
ness and assistance, and that I looked to her, 
not only to perform her duties faithfully, but 
also to take my place as far as she could. 
I cannot begin to tell you how faithfully 
both she and my cook served me at that time ; 
how much thoughtfulness and forbearance they 
showed. In my convalescence, — that most trying 
of all times ; that season when the weak nerves 
are struggling back to life ; when you are out 
of all danger and everybody thinks you are 
doing well enough, but you yourself know that 
you are a thousand-fold more in need of ten- 


292 THE BIDDY CLUB. 

derness, sympathy, and every form of loving- 
kindness than ever you were when most ill ; that 
time when you cannot help being unreasonable; 
v/hen every sound jars upon you, and every 
act of seeming indifference breaks your heart 
afresh, — at that time, with me, it was oftenest 
my servants who showed most sympathy and 
the truest and most constant kindness.” 

It was seldom that Mrs. Hughes betrayed 
emotion, for she had a wonderful power of con- 
trol ; but Dolly saw that this power was severely 
taxed just at that moment, and immediately 
claimed the ladies’ attention. 

“ I have not kept house very many years 
yet,” she said, “ but I know that most of these 
servants have kind hearts, and will show their 
kindness if we but let them. I think they often 
feel that their mistresses care nothing for them 
personally, but are merely trying to get what 
they can out of them; and of course such 
thoughts are hardening.” 

“ Do you believe in rewarding servants, Mrs. 
Hughes?” asked the Imitation Millionnaire. 

“ Not for all they do, perhaps ; or, to speak 
more correctly, I do not believe in turning 
around and paying a girl for every extra service 
which she may perform out of kindness of heart. 
That would be doing her injury and depriving 
her of the elevation of character which is God’s 


ONE THING AT A TIME. 


293 


payment for a noble act. But I think that ap- 
preciation stimulates virtue; we all crave that, 
and I never fail to let my servants receive it 
from me. Such services as we have been men- 
tioning cannot be paid for in dollars and cents ; 
but I think we do both ourselves and our ser- 
vants a wrong if we do not notice them in some 
way. It has been my custom for years to make 
for those servants who had lived with us a long 
time, or done especially well, a very happy 
Christmas. We have known seasons when we 
felt that we could not afford to give each other 
any present, unless it was some little inexpensive 
thing we ourselves manufactured ; but we have, 
even at such times, expended considerable on 
our servants.” 

“ What kind of presents do you make them ? 
asked Dolly. 

“ Cabbage and roast pig,” said the Sprightly 
Lady. 

No, not exactly that, but something practi- 
cal,” answered Mrs. Hughes. “When we were 
quite limited in our means, we used to buy cal- 
ico gowns, white aprons, handkerchiefs, and so 
on, for them. Usually we put the various arti- 
cles into different parcels, so as to have a series 
of surprises, and gave one from the baby, one 
from the next child, and perhaps one or two 
from myself. These presents were on the 


294 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Christmas-tree, — for we never failed to have a 
tree, if it was no more than a twig, and we were 
all very happy around it. Of late years I have 
tried to find out from my servants before Christ- 
mas what particular gift would be most accept- 
able, and have added this — an album perhaps, 
or a shopping-bag — to some more practical ar- 
ticles. There are those who think that a present 
should always be something superfluous, — some- 
thing the receiver could not have given him- 
self; and there certainly is wisdom in this, al- 
though it would not always be best to be guided 
by such a rule, for often people are really in 
need of practical articles, and a present which 
answered those wants could not fail to be more 
acceptable than one which took a more roman- 
tic form. It is almost needless to say that I 
think it very wrong to give servants any finery, 
— anything which would encourage in them 
tastes unbefitting their condition or means.” 

“ I have the same feeling you have about 
rewarding servants, Mrs. Hughes,” said the 
Silent Lady who had spoken a few moments 
before. After all our illness last spring I 
went away with the children. I knew our sum- 
mer was to be very quiet, but I resolved, even 
before we left, that I would try to make my 
nurse have a happy time; and I know I suc- 
ceeded in this. I gave her many little privileges, 


ONE THING AT A TIME. 


295 


and took pains that she should see whatever 
there was to be seen ; and as she formed some 
pleasant acquaintances among her own people, 
I am sure she enjoyed the summer.” 

Virtue is said to be its own reward,” said 
* Mrs. Hughes ; “ but I have noticed that few ob- 
ject to a little something additional, and I think 
that we may safely conclude that our servants 
are at least as human as we. To change the 
subject a little, I would like, if the ladies will 
excuse the digression, to give a description of 
a house of which I was lately told. Although 
foreign to our more recent topics of conversa- 
tion, and possibly so to our topic proper, — ser- 
vants, — yet it is closely allied to a subject 
upon which we have already touched, — that of 
making a home beautiful upon small means. 
The house whose description excited my admira- 
tion is the home of a married couple who are 
rich in culture, but whose means are quite lim- 
ited. Upon the lady’s entering the old family 
mansion as its mistress, she found that it had 
'heretofore been the custom of the household to 
; store in the garret any article of injured furni- 
ture. There were a number of old-fashioned 
pieces living thus in deep and melancholy seclu- 
sion, and she had them all carried downstairs, 
and with some outside assistance put them in 
perfect order. As some of this furniture was 


296 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


extremely old in style, it is now quite valuable, 
in a day when the antique is so highly prized. 
The house itself, although substantial, was rather 
bleak in its appearance and appointments. With 
the aid of an ordinary workman this lady made 
great changes and improvements in the large » 
yard, and within doors she must have trans- 
formed the place indeed. She employed a 
Frenchman who possessed some taste, but no 
skill beyond that of almost any good common 
painter, and with his help alone she frescoed 
the entire house. In her parlor she hung lace 
curtains, which she had dyed a delicate blue. 
On the ceiling overhead, pale morning-glories 
seem to grow and blossom. Pond-lilies in the 
upper and day-lilies in the lower hall rival the 
splendor of Solomon. In her husband’s study 
stands a tall palm-tree, and this tree finds like 
comrades on the walls ; while the lotus-flower 
and other suggestions of Egypt add to the 
classic beauty of the room. Her own study 
glows with the warmth of many-shaded reds, and 
on the walls the coral honeysuckle twines its 
beautiful lengths. This lady has until lately done 
but little painting, although of course she must 
always have been an artist at heart ; but in dec- 
orating her new home she was, as I have said, 
assisted by a man who had no claim to such a 
title. At times he would despair of carrying 


ONE THING AT A TIME. 


297 


out her suggestions, though she aided him by 
models and even by outlining the designs upon 
the walls. He would sit and mope by the hour, 
and all her own energy and enthusiasm were 
taxed to give him heart once more. Then per- 
haps he would take his brush and work away 
right manfully, until the next despondent fit 
seized him.” 

“ But all of us are not artists, Mrs. Hughes,” 
said the Practical Person. 

“ No; and all of us cannot have such exqui- 
site homes. I only cited this case to show what 
might be accomplished without much money. 
Of course this is not the only form of decora- 
tion, although it certainly is one that is unusually 
beautiful.” 

Some little chat among the ladies ensued at 
this point, and then Mrs. Hughes said, — 

“ The summer is now fairly upon us, and it 
might be well to adjourn the meetings until 
next fall.” 

“ Lest the discussions,” suggested the Spright- 
ly Lady, “ may become too heated.” 

“ Yes,” laughed Mrs. Hughes, “ there certainly 
would be some danger of that.” And then she 
added, '‘It might be well to have one more meet- 
ing, and in this to sum up as far as possible the 
results of the seventeen meetings of the Club. 
Possibly the best mode of doing this would be 


298 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


to hand in a series of resolutions on some of the 
various topics we have discussed.’' 

This suggestion met with favor, and Mrs. 
Hughes was requested to draw up the resolu- 
tions. This she declined to do, but said that if 
the ladies would hand her the resolutions some- 
time during the week, she would gladly endeavor 
to arrange them in order, and would also add 
her own contribution. To this the ladies con- 
sented ; and after some little chat upon other 
subjects they adjourned until their final meeting, 
a week later. 

When the ladies had all left, I asked Dolly 
what she thought of our Pale Friend. 

“ Why, Griff, I confess I ’m astonished,” she 
said, turning a perplexed face toward me. “ I 
was afraid she would be broken down by all 
her extra cares; and instead of that she looks 
better than she has since she was married.” 

“ Dolly,” I said, “ could n’t you see that 
woman was dying, not from overwork, but for 
the want of a little happiness?” 

“That must have been it; and now she’s 
really happy, she’s doing so much for her 
family; and I believe she’s happy in her hus- 
band, too.” 

Yes, I felt that Dolly was right. The woman 
was happy in her husband at last, and he and 
she did really love each other. He was not yet 


ONE THING AT A TIME, 


299 


my ideal of a man, by any means, nor was he 
one in whose companionship I could have taken 
great pleasure ; but none could deny that he was 
vastly improved, nor could any one doubt that 
his wife’s dying heart had been refreshed, and 
her drooping spirit had once more lifted its 
gentle head, as do the wild flowers after a soft 
spring rain. 

A little love — what will it not accomplish ! 
And when we come to a great, an eternal 
love, — a love that leaves the ninety and nine 
and goes out to seek the poor lost sheep, — is 
not that indeed God’s own ! 


300 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


SOME GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 

T the accustomed hour the ladies convened 



for their last meeting before fall, the scribe 
being modestly secluded, as usual. Only once 
did this personage issue from his retreat, and 
that was before the meeting really began. He 
then sought out Mrs. Hughes, and begged to 
know why, in most of her remarks, she had used 
the past tense. She explained that it was not 
because either her housekeeping or her family 
were deceased, but because she was trying 
to recall a period in her married life which 
would more nearly correspond to that through 
which the other ladies were passing than 
would the present, she having been married 
longer and kept house more years than had 
any of the rest of the Club. The explana- 
tion being satisfactory, the scribe forgave her 
and withdrew ; and shortly after he was once 
more seated at his desk, the meeting was 
opened. 


SOME GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 


301 


In all the preceding meetings considerable 
order had been observed, and, contrary to my 
expectation, I must confess, the object for which 
the Club was formed was constantly kept in view, 
and the main theme adhered to with remarkable 
steadfastness of purpose. But upon this last 
day — possibly because the resolutions were a 
novelty and called for more promiscuous dis- 
cussion, and possibly because it was the final 
meeting of the Club for this season — there was 
more laxity noticeable among the members. 
Of this fact, however, I shall take no further 
notice in my report, merely sifting out what 
seemed to be of moment, and letting the rest 
go. It had been my custom all along to take 
a shorthand report of the proceedings, Dolly 
assisting me to put it in proper shape when I 
wrote it out in full, as it was always necessary 
to make some few omissions and some slight 
change in the arrangement. 

‘‘ Now for Bridget,” said the Sprightly Lady. 
“ Mrs. Hughes, let us have the resolutions, 
please.” 

“With your permission, ladies, I will read all 
the resolutions first; and then, after we have 
discussed them, we can vote upon them. These 
resolutions have been drawn up as was sug- 
gested, and almost all the members have con- 
tributed something.” 


302 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


Be it resolved^ — 

1. That as mistresses we will endeavor to perfect 
our knowledge of all that pertains to good house- 
keeping. 

2. That housekeeping is a science involving a 
knowledge of human nature, a knowledge of the 
chemistry of food, economy of time and means, and 
many other branches of learning, and as such, in all its 
broadness and its many relationships, we will study it. 

3. That we will endeavor, in the management of 
our households and the conduct of our lives, care- 
fully to observe system as far as is possible. 

4. To require from servants who desire to enter our 
service, recommendations in some thoroughly satisfac- 
tory form. 

5. To require our servants to wear simple, neat 
clothing, befitting their means and their position in life. 

6. To pay them according to the quality and quan- 
tity of the work they perform. 

7. To treat them with justice and firmness, tem- 
pered with kindness, and also to govern our treatment 
of them by principles of the strictest honor. 

8. To require of them a greater perfection in their 
service. 

9. To provide them with suitable comforts of room 
and table, and to insist upon their proper care and use 
of such comforts. 

10. To bear constantly in mind the hardships of 
their lives, and to endeavor to lessen these by granting 
them all possible judicious privileges. 

11. To economize their strength and time as far as 


S03fE GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 303 

our means will permit, by the use of all good labor- 
saving machines and contrivances. 

12. To insist upon their taking proper care of their 
persons. 

13. To require them to be respectful, quiet, and 
orderly in their speech and action. 

14. To watch over their morals, always endeavoring 
to foster in them such traits of character as would 
increase their value as servants, and would also be of 
advantage to them were they ever to establish homes 
of their own. 

15. To teach them how to economize judiciously, 
and in all ways to endeavor to make extravagance 
disgraceful in their eyes. 

16. To supply suitable reading for their leisure 
hours. 

17. To endeavor to come to a better understanding 
of their character, and also of the difficulties of their 
liie, by looking at matters from their standpoint. 

18. To encourage them to talk freely of their wishes 
and grievances, provided they do so in the proper 
place, at the proper time, and in the proper manner. 

19. To endeavor, as far as in our power lies, to 
simplify our lives- and the demands made upon our 
time and strength. 

20. To endeavor to learn from all possible sources, 
and to improve every way that lies open to us for the 
increasing of our knowledge and general intelligence. 

It was necessary to read the above resolutions 
several times, both as a whole and in detached 


304 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


portions. The discussion set on foot by the 
reading was at times most animated, that upon 
resolution number six being almost vehement, 
and, strange as it may seem, that upon number 
nine being scarcely less so. The meeting had 
been prolonged beyond the usual hour, when 
the voting began, the ladies taking up the reso- 
lutions one by one, and in their proper order. 
Numbers four, five, eight, and thirteen were 
unanimously adopted; numbers one, two, three, 
seven, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, 
eighteen, and nineteen were carried by a good 
majority. Number twenty seemed, as far as its 
sentiment was concerned, to be received with 
approval by all; but some objected that it did 
not belong among a set of resolutions of that 
kind, while others thought it was already incor- 
porated in number two. Those who were in 
favor of its adoption argued that the broader a 
woman’s general intelligence became, the better 
fitted her brain would be to grapple with house- 
keeping problems ; they also argued that, while 
number two included much, it did not neces- 
sarily comprehend general intelligence, and after 
some discussion the resolution was adopted as 
it stood. Numbers nine, ten, eleven, and twelve 
passed, but with a smaller majority; while num- 
ber six barely escaped defeat, its majority being 
of the same diminutive size as that upon which 


SOME GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 305 

the scribe was admitted. To do justice to the 
ladies, however, I must state that one of them 
remarked that for her part she would be rather 
glad to see some change and improvement 
made in the amount of a competent servant’s 
wages, but that she did not control sufficient 
money to enable her to join in any such move- 
ment ; and I feel confident that, although they 
did not say so, one or two of the other ladies 
occupied the same position. 

I would like to say a few words more upon 
this subject,” said Mrs. Hughes, after the reso- 
lutions had lived through the fierce ordeal of 
the discussion and the voting. “ This remark 
could scarcely be incorporated in the resolu- 
tions, but it is, nevertheless, one which I trust 
will have much weight with you. If you have 
a good servant, do not spoil, her by over-indul- 
gence, but try by judicious and kind treatment 
to retain her as long as she is willing to give her- 
self to service. A good servant is one of the 
pillars of household peace and comfort. I think 
that a strong, competent, faithful servant can 
hardly be overestimated ; she is the very salt 
of the earth.” 

“ Briny Bridget,” murmured the Sprightly 
Lady. 

“Yes,” laughed Mrs. Hughes, “she may well 
be called briny, both for that reason, and also 
20 


3o6 the biddy club. 

because she generally comes from over the 
sea.” 

After this, the conversation became more 
general, all the ladies expressing their appre- 
ciation of the pleasure and profit afforded them 
by the Club, and also expressing their hope 
that they would all meet once more in the fall, 
and continue these or similar discussions. A 
vote of thanks was then most cordially offered 
to Dolly for forming the Club, and to Mrs. 
Hughes for leading it so ably; and soon after 
this the ladies dispersed. 

Dolly’s little Club was at an end for the time 
being, and I sat alone at my desk, busily specu- 
lating as to effects. It was seldom that any 
such enterprise was able to bear so much pres- 
ent and visible fruit as had this Club in the 
Pale Lady’s case; and although hers was the 
most marked instance of its influence, I was 
confident that I could also detect traces of its 
good work in many of the other ladies. I 
knew that my little woman had learned much 
that was of great value. The Practical Person 
had, I fancied, gained a little sentiment to soften 
and beautify her somewhat hard practicability. 
I believed that even the Millionnaire had gained 
a little wisdom; and although the Frivolous 
Young Woman had departed, and was, anyhow. 


SOME GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 307 

what the darkies call “ mazin po” material to 
work upon, yet neither she nor any other human 
creature could be entirely beyond hope. As 
to the Sprightly Lady, it was more difficult to 
say much. She was to me a most fascinating, 
puzzling little woman, — one of those who sel- 
dom betray what is going on in the busy heart 
and brain, rather disguising such work, but all 
the while, nevertheless, constantly impressing 
one with the conviction that beneath those 
merry surface jests there lies much of strength 
and also much wisdom. I did not doubt that 
such a character as hers had gained much from 
such a club. It was my earnest hope, also, that 
the Silent Ladies had carried away many good 
seeds. I felt indeed that for much of the fault 
and hardship of their lives their husbands were 
responsible, and that these husbands should 
have been present at the meetings, — to be 
thrashed I thought, rather fiercely; to be in- 
fluenced, Dolly would have said, more gently 
and wisely. 

I am reminded just here to explain that I gave 
to several members of the Club the name of 
Silent Lady, not because they never spoke, but 
because their words were somewhat fewer and 
more diffident than the words of the other ladies. 

Yes, the little Club was over for a time. I 
felt it was an inspiration on Dolly’s part, and 


3o8 


THE BIDDY CLUB. 


I was certain that its apparent end was but a 
beginning of much that we should not see, but 
which, nevertheless, many would feel. 

Just here I was interrupted by Dolly coming 
into the library and saying briskly, — 

“ Next, I think, I must take up the manage- 
ment of husbands.” 

“ Don’t ! ” I exclaimed with a prophetic shiver. 
“ Pray don’t exert yourself any further ! You 
need a long rest. I am really concerned for 
your health.” 

Dolly laughed, but showed no signs of relent- 
ing; whereupon I assured her that in some 
unconscious moment she must already have 
accomplished the very important work she pro- 
posed. There were times, I averred, of which 
the present was a notable instance, when I had 
a decidedly managed feeling. 


THE END. 


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